Not The Only One
by Kavella
Summary: Everyone has a past, but sometimes it is hard to remember that others have one as well. Zeb finds out that Ezra's past still haunts him, the hard way. And when he wants to apologize, Ezra is nowhere to be found. What happened to him? And can the crew help Ezra before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I really like the Star Wars Rebels as a show, and I have read almost single fanfic on this site and let me tell you; most of them are the best fanfics I have ever read. I remember back when there was only 2 pages of fanfic… those were dark times. Anyway, here's my fanfic.

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**Chapter 1 - Memories**

The ship named The Ghost floated through empty space, filled with fear. After the Empire took control of the galaxy, everyone was afraid. The Empire ruled with an iron grip on its citizens, terrorizing them into submission. But on this ship, which was floating over the outer rim planet named Lothal, a very rare species, thanks to the Empire, sat. Zeb was looking out the window of the ship in deep thought. He was thinking about his home, a planet named Lasan.

_Screaming._

The Imperials came to his world in broad daylight, carrying a large gun on their backs. The warriors prepared for battle, including Zeb. He was a newbie, just coming from completing training. He finished in the top 5 of his class. Needless to say, he was _very_ confident in his skills.

_Fire._

He rushed out with the other Lasats, male and female, some not even having gone to training. They all knew what was at stake. They moved as one, no command having to be spoken between them.

_"Take them down!"_

The soldiers stopped, and bringing their guns forward, began to fire, again and again and again.

_Flashes of blue, red, and green. Lasats falling to the ground. Their bodies-_

Everything happened so fast. He will never be able to un-see the image of a person getting shot with a T-7 ion disruptor. He shuddered a little, the image after all these years, still fresh in his mind.

_You could have saved them…_

But he could not have. But that was all in the past now. He had spent too much time wondering about this, thinking that if he just changed one little detail, did one thing differently, how different his life would be. Maybe his species would not be endangered anymore. But there was nothing he could do about it now. The past was in the past. Yet…he could not let it go.

Zeb stood up, feeling faint for living through the memory again. He thought about it all the time, and every time it haunts him. Zeb decided he would go lie down for a bit in his room, try to sleep off his fears and regrets. Trying to sleep off the memories.

_"I can't sleep off all my problems." _Zeb thought to himself.

_"But I can try."_ He rebutted against himself. Deciding there was nothing else to do; he took a right turn down the Ghost's corridors and walked to his room. They would have some time before their next mission. Hera was piloting The Ghost to land on the planet, but there was no new mission as far as he knew. As soon as he got to the door, Zeb reached for the button to open the door, but stopped. Something did not smell right. The Lasat took a deep breath in through his nose, and then he remembered the kid. _Ezra_.

He was still getting use to having to share a room with Ezra. It was not all too bad, he never heard him in the middle of the night. Then again, he _was_ a heavy sleeper. And besides, Ezra was kind of like the children on his home world. They would always get into trouble from overconfidence, always fighting each other. Zeb gave a quick smile to himself when he thought of messing around with the kid. He never actually wanted to hurt him, but he has to be tough. It is the Lasat way to be strong.

_I was not strong enough. I could have helped more-_

Zeb cut off his thoughts, knowing where they were leading. Exchanging his smile for a frown, he pressed the button. The door opened to his shared room, and he looked in.

And that's when he saw it.

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R&amp;R

~Kavella~


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Thanks for all the positive feedback. I am glad you guys like it! I hope you like this chapter as well! J

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**Chapter 2 - Orbit**

Zeb cut off his thoughts, knowing where they were leading. Exchanging his smile for a frown, he opened the door to his shared room, and looked in.

And that's when he saw it.

Things were…_floating._ There were some of Ezra's tools, along with a few of Zeb's items that were either form his home, or something small he'd collected over the years. They were slowly rotating around the room, as if in orbit. Zeb was astounded. He had never seen anything like this before. He walked in, and the door closed behind him, but all of the objects remained in the air. It was like he was in some other fantasy. Zeb felt oddly out of place as a new emotion swept through his mind.

_Loneliness_

He then turned, and as if he was being drawn to the source of the feeling, his eyes landed upon the youngest member of the crew. Ezra.

He was lying down on the top bunk, which made him look smaller than normal since the bunk was so large in comparison. Ezra was sound asleep, and looked fine to Zeb. But upon taking a closer look, Zeb could see Ezra's face. He had a few droplets of water on his forehead, and his face was contorted, making him look like he was in pain.

As Zeb slowly approached Ezra, avoiding any orbiting objects, and took a closer look. Ezra did not look fine. He slightly twitching in his bed, and the few droplets turned into many. When Zeb took another step, Ezra began to twist and turn in his bed, thrashing violently. He was mumbling something, but even with the excellent hearing Zeb had, he could only catch a few words as he tried to wake him.

"No."

"22nd."

"Package."

"Blade."

"Kid? Hey, Kid." Zeb said, as Ezra continued to thrash. "Kid, wake up!" Zeb insisted, as he tried to figure what else he could do. He placed his hand on Ezra's shoulder, and lightly shook him. Ezra still continued to thrash. Not knowing what else to do, Zeb took a step back and let go of Ezra's shoulder, figuring the best thing he could do was get Kanan. But before he could turn around, Ezra woke up.

He bolted upwards, as he inhaled quickly and let out a small gasp. The tools and other such things that were floating immediately stopped their path of orbit and fell with a small, but fairly loud, crash. Ezra looked over at the Lasat staring down at him, his eyes wide with fear. Zeb knew his face showed concern; he was worried for the kid. But the way Ezra reacted to him was the last thing Zeb would have suspected.

Still breathing heavily, Ezra spoke. "Oh." He said, taking in another breath. "Heeey, Zeb. What are you doing here?"

"I'm waking you up from what looked like to be a nightmare." Zeb informed him.

"What are you talking about? I don't have nightmares." Ezra insisted. But Zeb could see right through him. Ezra was still trying to catch his breath, still trying to shake off whatever he was dreaming about.

"Then what do you call what you had right now? Was it one of those Jedi _visions_?" Zeb mocked, and mimicked what Kanan would do, but with much more exaggeration. Zeb was trying to lighten the mood, knowing that he would not know what to say to Ezra if he was having nightmares. So he did the only thing he could do, which was making him mad. And it worked.

"No! And you shouldn't be complaining. You snore like a Hutt!" Ezra said, as his breathing became more regular.

Zeb growled with frustration. He had a short temper, and the kid knew this.

"Please. You don't even know how to spell the word Hutt! You probably got the worst grades in the class!" Zeb replied, and let out a laugh, humored and proud by his quick thinking. But when he looked up, Ezra looked anything but his usual self. He had a look in his eyes that was there for only a brief second, before vanishing in place of anger.

"Like you know anything about me!" Ezra exclaimed, jumping off of his bunk.

"Oi, kid, I was just-"

"I don't care what you were doing. Just get out of my way!" Ezra pointed at Zeb as he shouted, jabbing his finger at him. Zeb was shocked by his outbursts, and stepped aside, and Ezra bolted out of the room with an angry expression on his face. Zeb was confused, usually the kid would retort back, and the game would go on and on until Ezra provoked him too much and Zeb started chasing him down the halls. Ezra however would always escape his grasp, or find another way out. He had acquired quick reflexes and fast thinking because of him having to-

It hit Zeb like an avalanche of boulders. He had forgotten. How could he forget?

He was not the only one with a past.

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Hope you liked the second chapter; I tried to make it a bit longer.

R&amp;R.

~Kavella~


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Static**

Hello! So I think I'll mostly try to upload around Tuesdays and Fridays. I hope you like the third chapter!

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It hit Zeb like an avalanche of boulders. He had forgotten. How could he forget?

He was not the only one with a past.

Zeb stood there in regret. How could he have forgotten that Ezra had lived on the streets? He knew the kid always hid it, and that he did not like to talk about it, but _why?_ Every member on this ship had a past. Then again, Ezra never talked about _how_ he survived over the years. Zeb knew he stole food, but would he do anything else?

_"Package". _ Zeb thought back to when he was trying to awake Ezra, and he had said that. Had he taken jobs where he needed to deliver something? What was that about?

_"Blade."_ This word stuck inside Zeb's mind. He kept on hearing Ezra say it, and each time is made him sadder. Could someone have possibly - ? Zeb quieted his thoughts, thinking about what to do next. He decided he would try to talk to Ezra, although knowing it was not particularly his strong suite. However, Ezra would be more upset if he had told someone else about it. He did not like too much attention, but that was what he was use to.

Zeb walked out of his cabin, and went to the bridge. There were not that many places to be alone on the Ghost, due to its five inhabitants and small living quarters. He walked in and saw Hera sitting in the pilot's seat. He saw through the window that she had just landed on the planet Lothal, where Ezra grew up. Hera, hearing him enter, turned around in her chair.

"Hey, Zeb. What's up?" Hera asked, as she rose from her chair.

"I was just wondering if Ezra was in here." Zeb stated, but as he saw the empty seats, he could figure it out for himself.

"No, I haven't seen him. I -" Hera said, before being cut off by a blinking light on her control panel. "That's strange." She thought out loud, as she tapped the blinking light as if was just a glitch.

"What is it?"

"The ramp is open. Geez, who was so anxious to get off my ship today, it doesn't smell _that_ bad." Hera joked, but when she looked up at Zeb, she knew something was up.

"Oh, no…" He whispered under his breath, and he turned out of the cockpit's door. Hera shot him a concerning look, and decided to follow.

"Zeb, what did you say? And why are you walking so fast?" Hera said as she almost had to jog alongside the Lasat. But he did not slow. He knew who had left; he just hoped for once he was wrong. He reached the landing above where the ramp meet with the planet, and as Hera indicated, it was wide open.

_ Great._ Hera caught up to Zeb, and looked at him.

"Zeb…" She questioned. "Who left?"

Zeb looked down at his feet, not wanting to tell Hera, because he knew she would get angry.

"Uhh… the kid may have…run off…" Zeb reported regrettably. Hera's eyes narrowed.

"And _why_ did Ezra run off?" Hera asked suspiciously.

"I may have said something about his past to him…" Zeb responded. "But it's not my fault!''

"Zeb! You _know_ Ezra had a hard life ever since his parents were taken away." Hera sighed. "This is just great. Do you know why we're on this planet? There's a shipment that the Empire is picking up from a gang. Ezra could seriously get hurt out there!" Hera shouted, and it attracted unwanted attention to Zeb from the other inhabitants of the ship.

"Hera, it's fine! He's lived out there before. Besides, he has a com link. Just call him, I'm sure he'll pick up."

Hera sighed and pulled out her com. "Spector 6, come in. This is Spector 2." She waited, biting her lip. The seconds ticked by. The only response they got was static.

Hera put her hand to her forehead in frustration. Zeb knew Hera was always tried to remain hopeful, but the situation they were in was not exactly great. He heard the familiar sound of the door opening, and Kanan and Sabine came into the room.

"What's going on here?" Kanan asked, mostly looking at Hera.

"Yeah, we could hear Hera yelling from the other side of the Galaxy." Sabine joked.

Without lifting her hand, Hera spoke. "Zeb."

_Busted._ Zeb looked up at Kanan and Sabine. "Ezra…ran off…"

"**What?****_"_** Sabine and Kanan asked at the same time. Kanan looked at Hera, who had finally calmed herself a little bit.

"It wasn't my fault!" Zeb shouted, as Hera climbed up the ladder, with Kanan close behind.

"That's what you said last time." Sabine pointed out, and followed in the direction of Kanan and Hera. Zeb growled at the thought of the first time he endangered Ezra's life. This kid was a thorn in his side, but he did not want to see him get hurt. Zeb grumbled and climbed up the ladder after the rest of the crew.

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Zeb entered the room, and Sabine was sitting at the table, rewiring something that he could not see. Hera watched her, handing her any tools she needed, and Kanan was scratching the back of his head, and pacing a little bit. As soon as he noticed Zeb, he turned to look at him.

"What did you say to him?" Kanan asked with worry imbedded into his eyes. Zeb sighed.

"Well, I walked in, and the kid was makin' everything float. Then he starts thrashing around, and starts having a nightmare or something."

Kanan grimaced, and closed his eyes, and continued to pace until he got to the wall. He faced the wall for a moment, and then turned around to face Zeb again.

"That wasn't a nightmare." Kanan said, and looked down at the floor. Sabine and Hera looked up at him as he continued. "It was a memory…of his past."

The crew paused briefly, reflecting over the heavy words that Kanan had confessed.

"I should have known..." he said, under his breath.

"Finished." Sabine said.

"What's that?" Zeb asked, looking at the small rectangular devise that Sabine held up.

"It _used_ to be a communicator. I rewired it to be a locator. It can trace Ezra's com link." Sabine replied.

"Okay, here's the plan." Kanan directed. "Hera, Sabine and I will carry out the mission. We need to stop the shipment no matter what. Who knows what the Empire needs from a group of criminals? And Zeb?" Kanan walked to Sabine and took the device. "You're going to find Ezra - before anyone else does."

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For the next chapter I may transition viewpoints a little bit. Whose viewpoint do you want to hear the most?

R&amp;R

~ Kavella ~


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Crates**

Hello! I hope you like the fourth chapter! Things start to pick up a little bit. Enjoy!

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Ezra ran. He was not being chased – but he was trying to escape. He was not in danger – yet he was in pain. He could not help it – but he felt he was the one to blame.

It was not fair.

It was not fair that he did not go to school. It was not fair that he did not have a normal childhood.

Ezra slowed down when he felt as if he would collapse from exhaustion. He was in an alley that was filled with trash. He leaned against the wall, and slid down. The smell did not bother him anymore. As he caught his breath, he watched the people of Lothal stroll on with their everyday lives, oblivious to him. Just like always. No one on Lothal was particularly interesting; It was an outer rim planet; Nothing noteworthy around here. However, as he watched, a figure caught his eye. Ezra leaned a little closer in curiosity, but as he did so, the figure turned around. Ezra retreated a little, and as the figure's face came into view, a fear rose inside of Ezra. A fear that he had not felt in a long time.

The man had blond hair that was shorter in the back, but bangs covered his forehead and framed his faced. He had a tan that was slightly visible from the streaks around his black tank top. His smirk that he wore on his face confirmed Ezra's fear. _Time to go. __**Now.**_

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Zeb was worried. The kid had a knack for getting himself in trouble, and this would be no exception. He was walking through the streets of Lothal as he thought. The tracker would start beeping when he got close to the source, but for now, he had no idea where Ezra could be. Zeb sighed. This would be harder than he thought. _Where on Lothal could that kid have gone?_

Zeb decided he should check his old home first. It was not too far from where he was now. He made a left, ignoring the people who were trying to sell him some cheap thing for more credits than it was worth. He ended up at Ezra's house, knowing the location because Kanan filled them all in about how they found Tseebo. He looked at the graffiti and cracks all over his former home, and a wave of pain sliced through him. He felt sorry for the kid. He would never admit this however, for then he would never hear the end of it.

He continued walking, not knowing where he was going, silently hoping he would find Ezra before the plan would start. It would incite a lot of chaos, and then it would be that much harder to find him. As he turned the corner, his hope spiked up when he heard a faint _beep_. He immediately brought the tracker forward, and sure enough, it let out another _beep_. Hope was filling Zeb faster by the second. He started to walk a little faster down the street, and followed the beeping that became clearer each time.

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Hera was sure the plan would work. They had done a mission like this many times before. The only difference this time was that Hera was taking Zeb's place, and Chopper was going to fly the ship, much to his chagrin. She smiled to herself, remembering some of his crazy antics.

Kanan signaled to stay low and Sabine and she did just that. They both peered around the corner, seeing the Imperials. There were about around ten, all checking data pads or guarding the speeders that were not loaded yet. As one soldier moved away, another became visible. But this was not a soldier; it was an ISB agent.

Kallus stood, signing a data pad and handing it off to another soldier, and looked around. Hera and Sabine retracted their heads from around the corner and turned back to Kanan.

"What is Kallus doing here?" Sabine asked in a whisper.

"I don't know; but this means trouble. A shipment usually doesn't involve ISB agents." Kanan stated, as he peered around the corner again. "But this can't stop us. Whatever the Empire is getting from a gang _cannot_ be anything good."

"Got it." Sabine said as she stood up. She, as always, was in charge of the distraction. She walked out of the alley confidently and began phase one. Hera turned to Kanan, who looked back at her.

"You doing okay?" He asked.

"I just hope Zeb has found Ezra by now."

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Kanan watched as the gang members stepped in front of Kallus. It looked to Kanan that the one with the blond hair with bangs and the black tank top was the leader. He stood with a confident smile, and two people behind him had two crates floating before them.

"Do you have what we asked for?" Kallus asked.

"Yeah, yeah yeah. But I think you'll be interested in what we have in the other crate, of course, if you're willing to through in, let's say, 1,000 more credits?" The man smirked, looking very confident.

"The Empire does not usually deal out such a large price. What do you have?"

The leader gestured to one of the men behind him, and he brought up another crate. He opened it a crack, and Kallus looked in. He suddenly smiled, and closed the lid. Kallus then gestured to one of his men, and he began paying the gang member handsomely.

Kanan wondered what could possibly be worth that much to the Empire. Pushing that side away, Kanan focused back on the mission.

The leader smirked, and was about to turn away when an explosion erupted behind them, and took them off guard. Sabine had completed her part. Now it was up to Hera and Kanan to start phase two. Kanan pulled out his blaster and was about to round the corner when something purple caught his eye. There, on the opposite side of where Kanan and Hera stood, was Zeb, with the tracker in his hand. _What is he doing here?_

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Pieces**

Hello! So the first section is the part I cut out from the last chapter, and then it picks back up from where it left off. I hope you like this chapter!

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_Earlier_

The man had blond hair that was shorter in the back, but bangs covered his forehead and framed his faced. He had a tan that was slightly visible from the streaks around his black tank top. His smirk that he wore on his face confirmed Ezra's fear. _Time to go._**_Now._**

Ezra stood up, and turned around, but ran straight into what felt like a solid wall. He looked up from the ground where he now laid, and all he saw was a cloth bag coming down over him. Ezra tried to resist, getting out a few punches and kicks, but he was jut a kid. This fact refused to damage his will power, for he could not go back with them. He could not go through that again. Once was enough. Ezra used the last of his willpower to scratch his attackers once more, before everything went black.

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_Present_

"Protect the crates!" The Stromtroopers moved into action, taking the crates and attaching them to the speeders. The troopers then took off, speeding off into opposite directions. Kanan turned the corner and began firing. Hera was already on route to intercept one of the crates, but they did not account for a second. He had to think of a new plan. Fast. He then turned his attention back towards the fight. The gang seemed to have flown from the scene, having already gotten paid, and Kanan had already taken out a few. However, he attracted the unwanted attention of Kallus. He looked at Kanan, but instead of the usual anger displayed on his face, he looked pleased. Like he wanted Kanan to try. This threw him off balance. However, from behind Kallus, he saw Zeb join the fight.

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Zeb rounded the corner, and the tracker got louder and louder. Excitement filled him, but when he looked up, he only felt confusion. He was where the mission was happening, and from the looks of the red shots being fired back and forth, it had already started. _Blast it._ Zeb came up from behind the soldiers, and picked one up and before the man knew what was happening he collided into the soldier right next to him, promptly knocking them both out.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the _Lasat._" Kallus spat the words at Zeb, which only angered him. Zeb pulled out his Bo-rifle and ignited it, as well as Kallus. They charged at each other, and the steady clink of the two staffs with electric tips echoed across the area. Zeb was highly trained, but it had been a long time since he had trained on his home world. Too long. He pushed his sad memories away as he always had. However, this fact drove him to fight harder, and gave him an opening to throw Kallus off balance. Kallus stumbled a little, and Zeb was about to gain the upper hand when Kallus began talking.

"I heard you were _missing_ someone, aren't you?" Kallus mocked Zeb, dangling the information above his head.

"What do you know?" Zeb responded, still holding his stance ready to attack.

"I know that you're missing your youngest member of the team – the street-rat _padawan._" The words Kallus threw at Ezra infuriating Zeb. No one is allowed to call Ezra that, not if he has anything to say about it. He cared for the child, even though he did not show it all the time. Sensing Zeb's anger, Kallus continued speaking. "Don't you want to know what was in the box?"

The two enemies began clashing their weapons again, the yellow and purple electric ends swirling around them. But Kallus gained the upper hand, and Zeb was thrown back hard. He tried to slow himself, but in the end it was Kanan who stopped him from sliding any further. Kallus then hoped onto the speeder, and looking at them with an evil grin that he had worn since he had seen the contents of the box. That's when Zeb pieced it together. The tracker, what Kallus had said; it all came together, crashing down upon him. He knew what was in the box. And it was not good.

"Zeb – what are you doing here? You're supposed to be searching for Ezra." Kanan said, as he put his blaster away having cleared out all of the other troopers that had not sped away.

"Yeah - about that Kanan…" Zeb said, as he deactivated his Bo-rifle. "The tracker led me…here." He looked at Kanan, who seemed to be putting the pieces together as he just had moments ago.

"Oh no…" Kanan whispered.

"I was too late. The gang found him first." Zeb said, as he stared down the street where the speeder took off from. He felt the hope of finding Ezra seep away. He did not want it to go, but it did anyway. He had not felt this hopeless since-

"I'm not giving up yet. Zeb, let's go!" Kanan said, breaking Zeb away from his thoughts, as he took off down the street. Zeb ran after him, trying to catch up.

"Where are we going exactly?" Zeb asked.

"We're going to get Ezra back." Kanan replied, as he took his com out and turned it on. "Spector 5 – intercept the other crate immediately!"

Zeb heard Sabine reply "On it!" and Kanan tucked his com away. They ran down the streets, twisting and turning, trying not to collide with locals. They came upon an intersection, and not knowing which way the speeder turned, they stopped. From the left of them, Zeb picked up on a faint humming sound. The sound of a speeder. He took out his Bo-rifle, and Kanan got the message. He equipped his gun.

The speeder came into the clear and stopped right in front of them. However, it was not what Zeb expected. Where a Storm trooper was _supposed_ to sit, Sabine sat. She jumped off and gave them a small salute, but Zeb did not see it. He was focused on the crate. He was focused on Ezra.

He ran up to it, with Kanan right behind him, leaving a confused Sabine behind. They both immediately took off the lid, and looked inside.

But what they found surprised them both.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – Claustrophobic**

Hello! I will update every Tuesday and Friday. But I finally have a break, so you might see a few bonus chapters coming out this week. Hope you like this chapter!

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But what they found surprised them both.

Inside the crate were…blades. They were metal and had a long staff attached to it. The blade itself had two jagged knifes on either end – each swirling outward in different directions.

"Whoa!" Sabine said, looking into the crate. "These must hurt. No wonder the Empire wanted to get their hands on them. They probably want to mass produce them or something." Sabine looked up at Zeb, but he kept staring at the crate. _We had the wrong one._

Kanan, seeming to have the same thought, swore under his breath and pulled out his communicator.

"Spector 2, come in."

Sabine looked up in confusion at Zeb. "What's going on?"

Zeb replied. "I think… the gang found Ezra first."

"Spector 2, _come in._" Zeb could sense the worry in Kanan's voice, as he kept trying desperately to get Hera to answer.

But Hera did not respond.

"Blast it. She's not answering." Kanan said, trying to hide his distraught.

"Something must have happened. This mission is getting better by the second!" Zeb sarcastically answered.

"Spector 3, we need that lift now!" Kanan said into his com. A series of angry beeps followed from Chopper. "Spector 3, just do it." Moments later the dark shadow of the Ghost engulfed them, and Zeb, Kanan and Sabine were on route to save their two team members.

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Hera hid behind a corner of a tan building, watching the Trooper getting off his speeder. She raised her weapon and aimed. But before she could, the crate that was attached to the speeder started…_moving?_ Hera blinked a few times, and discounting it as a mirage, aimed again. She fired, and the Trooper fell off the speeder. Hera stood up, and was about to go to the crates when Kallus walked up along with 5 other storm troopers. Hera quickly tried to hide behind the building again, but she felt something cold and metallic press up against the back of her head.

"Surrender, rebel. There's no escape." Kallus hissed. Hera looked around. She was surrounded. She could not get out of this one alive.

Hera had no choice.

She faintly heard her com speak as they took it away and smashed it on the ground. After Kallus was satisfied with the secureness of her handcuffs, he walked over to the box, which again appeared to move. Hera was still confused why the cargo was moving. Kallus seemed to notice her confusion, and spoke up.

"You must want to know what's in the crate. You want to know why it's moving, don't you."

Hera remained silent. She refused to succumb to Kallus's taunts. This seemed to bother Kallus.

"Fine. If you do not want to talk, _rebel,_ then you can come aboard our ship. There, I'm sure you'll change your mind."

"I highly doubt that." Hera replied confidently. She knew that she would not talk, no matter what happened.

They put her into a prison transport vehicle, but the crate was loaded onto a different one. The two vehicles then set out, going across the planet's vast fields.

In a situation like this, most people would think they had no hope. Hera, however, was a very hopeful person. She kept on glancing up to the skies, knowing that Kanan, Sabine, Chopper, Zeb, and Ezra would come and save her. She had faith in her family.

She just hoped they would come soon.

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Ezra awoke and took a large breath, but found it difficult. Some sort of cloth was covering his mouth. He tried to move his hands to take it off, but they were restricted. As he reached out to stretch in the darkness, his hands hit a wall. He felt around the barrier, and found it no more than an arm's length wide. A fear grew inside Ezra. He was trapped. He began trying to shake his container he was in, but found that he did not have the strength to do so.

He could feel the walls closing in. He suddenly felt his hear start beating out of his chest, and his mouth became dry. If he could see his hands, he would see them trembling. He felt like he was going to puke and pass out at the same time. He tried again to get out of the confining walls that held him, but with no success. He felt himself breathing harder and harder, and started frantically trying to move the box. Then he heard a voice from outside his dark prison.

"I highly doubt that."

It was Hera. Hera! She was close by. Ezra slowly began to calm himself down, knowing that her familiar presence was close by. This meant that the crew, his friends, knew where he was and they were going to save him. Ezra let relief wash over him, trying to calm himself from his panic that he felt before. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. His friends were coming soon. And as soon as they did, he was getting out of this dark prison, so he did not have to feel claustrophobic anymore.

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"There!" Kanan pointed to the three Imperal Troop Transports driving across the vast fields of Lothal. "Chopper, fly us in closer!" Kanan shouted after spotting Hera, who was being held on the outer side of the closet one.

"Let's go!" Zeb shouted, eager to get Hera and Ezra back.

"Sabine – man the nose gun. There's bound to be Tie's incoming." Kanan shouted, as he followed Zeb towards the ramp. Chopper lowered it, and Zeb jumped down landing roughly enough to make the Imperals inside know he was there. Kanan landed with more grace, having used the force to slow his fall. He then leaned over and released Hera. She climbed up to the top of the transport, looking happy to see her crew, and her ship, in one piece.

"Took you long enough." She said, as Stromtroopers climbed up onto the top of the transports. Kanan drew out his lightsaber, and handed Hera his gun. Zeb ignited his Bo-rifle, and took the first wave.

"Why – did you miss us?" Kanan replied as they dodged a ray of red light.

"I missed my ship." Hera teased. Kanan smiled a little as he reflected another laser, and returned it to the source from the other transport roof. "Speaking of ships- why aren't we getting on mine?" Hera asked, as Chopper and Sabine took out another Tie fighter in the sky.

Zeb, who had finished off the troopers, came back over.

"Where's the crate?" He asked, not caring if he sounded crazy.

"The crate?" Hera was confused, as Kannan realized that she was not there when Zeb had come to the fight. "I think it's in the second one."

Wasting no time, Zeb jumped onto the top, followed by Kanan and Hera. Kanan swooped down to the back where the door was, and opened it.

But someone was waiting for them.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – Struggling**

Hello! Okay so I admit, I did go a little cliffhanger crazy in the last two chapters. I will try not to make too many more cliffhangers, but I make no guarantees. Hope you like this chapter!

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But someone was waiting for them.

Kanan looked into the hull of the ship, and there was the crate he was looking for. He could sense Ezra's presence. But on top of the box sat the Inquisitor, his legs crossed and looking rather pleased at the situation at hand.

"Welcome, Jedi. I've been expecting you." He said, and with a push of his hand, Kanan flew out of the transport, and the Inquisitor jumped out right after him.

Kanan tumbled for what felt like ages before he finally stopped and was able to regain control. He tried to stand up, still disoriented, but before he could, he felt the familiar warning sound of the force. Trusting his instincts, he immediately rolled away. He looked up, and in the place where he was a moment ago, stood the Inquisitor, with his lightsaber drawn.

"You have nothing to worry about, Jedi. The boy is in _good_ hands. Surrender now, while you still can." Kanan drew his lightsaber, the blue light illuminating his face.

"I'll take that as a no." The Inquisitor mocked, and the two blades clashed.

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Zeb watched in horror as Kanan was thrown off the ship. He saw the Inquisitor jump off after him, and they began to fight. Zeb hoped that Kanan could hold his own long enough so they could rescue Ezra. Zeb jumped down into the Transport's now empty hull, where the box was located. Hera followed close behind, still not sure on what was in the box.

He rushed up to it and opened the lid, expecting the kid to pop up and make a funny comment about how small the box is, or something of the nature. But when he opened it, it was not what he expected.

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Kanan knew that he had to distract the inquisitor. He knew that he had to buy the rest of the crew time to rescue Ezra. He just hoped he could do so.

His master had always told him to believe in himself, but when she died, so did a part of his hope. He was not trained for this. He should not be doing this.

But he was. And he had to. In order to protect his own padawan, who _would_ receive the training that he never had.

The Inquisitor struck with force and anger, but Kanan remained level headed. He had to in order for him to come out on top. The Inquisitor pushed him back, but mentally, Kanan stood firm.

_Just focus._ He kept on repeating it over and over again in his head, hoping it might work. He just had to hold him off a little bit longer….

But the Inquisitor was too powerful. He knocked Kanan off balance, and using the force, stuck him down on the grassy plains. Kanan tried to get up, he had to, but his vision was blurry and he could not focus.

He had failed.

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"Welcome, Jedi. I've been expecting you."

Kanan! Hope flooded Ezra's mind. They came for him, just like before. They were here now, and they would get him out of the dark box that he was caged in.

But he heard Kanan grunt, and then silence again. Ezra was worried. He knew the Inquisitor was nearby, he could sense his presence. But when he heard Kanan grunt, they both faded out of Ezra's range.

_What if Kanan had died? What if the Inquisitor killed them all? What if I'm stuck in this box?_ Panicking thoughts rushed into his mind, making his heart race faster, and him to start shaking again. They were his friends, and he had not known people who cared for him in a long time. He was even starting to view them as his _family._ He had already lost his family before, and he did not know if he could handle losing another one.

Just when he thought he was going to panic again, he heard a second thud, followed by a third. Someone came closer and closer to the box, and suddenly the lid came off, exposing Ezra to the light. He could not see the person who removed the lid, but he feared it was the Inquisitor, or a gang member from his past. He immediately struggled, and tried to get out of the retched crate, but his bound arms and cramped space restricted him. He immediately started to thrash, knowing that it was the last thing he could do, and the crate tipped over and he tumbled out.

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What Zeb saw inside the crate worried him. There was Ezra, shoved inside with his limbs twisted as odd angles, but none of them appearing broken. He was gagged and his wrists were restricted by some sort of cable. But when he tried to help Ezra get out, he was moving around trying to stand up.

The kid looked terrified.

His blue eyes were wide, and his breath was shaky and uneven. He looked just like when he had woken up from the nightmare. Realizing what the kid had just been through, he could not blame him. It basically was a nightmare.

He continued struggling, and it became more and more violent until the crate tipped over and he rolled onto the metal floor. Hera was by his side in an instant.

"Ezra, calm down. It's us!" Hera said, as she grabbed onto his shoulder. Ezra's electric blue eyes were still wide, but after hearing Hera talk to him, he settled. Hera continued to speak comforting words until Ezra was calm enough that Zeb trusted himself to break the restrictions on his hands. Hera took off his gag, and Ezra took a deep breath.

"Hey, you okay kid?" Zeb asked, as Ezra stood up with the help of Hera.

"I'm fine." Ezra replied quickly – a little too quickly, before his body posture changed. His shoulders relaxed and he tilted his head up. His eyes filled with the fear that Zeb saw in them earlier.

"Kanan!" The kid shouted, before running off to the end of the transport and jumping off.

"Ezra!"

"Kid!" Zeb shouted, confused and bewildered about what just happened. Zeb was about to jump off after his friend, before Hera grabbed his shoulder.

"Zeb, we can't save him or Kanan by doing anything stupid. We need to radio to Specter 3 to get a lift off this transport before it crashes. Then we can rescue both of them.

Zeb looked out of the transport where Ezra had jumped out. He knew Hera was right, but a part of him still wanted to jump out. He wanted to jump out and grab Ezra, and make sure he was safe. He did not want anything to happen to him.

He would not be able to live with himself if Ezra got hurt.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – Hanging On**

Hello! Sorry for the short chapter, I promise the next one will be a bit longer. Hope you like it!

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Ezra jumped out of the transport, not giving his actions any thought. He fell onto the ground and his body was tossed around for what seemed like ages. Once the momentum ceased, he got up, holing his upper left arm where most of the bleeding was occurring, and ran in the direction of Kanan.

He was not entirely sure of _why_ he jumped out. He just had a gut feeling that Kanan was in trouble. And he remembered what Kanan had said to him. _Trust your instincts._ So he did.

And it turned out he was right.

As he followed where his instincts told him to go, and what he saw shocked him. The Inquisitor stood before an unconscious Kanan, with his lightsaber raised above his head, ready to descend into the heart of his master.

"NO!" Ezra shouted, and grabbed on to the familiar feeling of what Kanan had said to be the force. He mustered all of his strength that he could find, and shoved his hands outwards, and closed his eyes. Ezra was terrified. If Kanan died, what would happen to him? There would be no one to stop the Inquisitor from taking him. He did not want to join the Empire. They had taken everything from him, and he would not let them take Kanan too.

He opened his eyes, hoping that Kanan was alive, and that he had used the force to stop the Inquisitor. Judging by the fact that the Inquisitor was 20 feet away from Kanan in a crouch and looking angrily at Ezra, he had done it. He ran up to Kanan, shaking his arm out of fear as he tried to help him up.

But Kanan did not get up.

Ezra looked up and saw the Inquisitor recovering from his force push quicker than Kanan would recover. Ezra started to shake faster, desperately trying to wake Kanan. But as he looked down, and saw that Kanan was still passed out, he came to a realization. He was on his own.

He grabbed his master's lightsaber off of the ground and flicked it on, as the Inquisitor got closer.

"It was very noble of you to risk your life for your friend here. I will have to punish you later, my _apprentice,"_ the Inquisitor said.

"I'm not your apprentice," Ezra stated firmly.

"We'll just have to see about that." The Inquisitor said as he continued approaching him, forcing Ezra back, away from Kanan. With one swift hand motion, the Inquisitor stole the lightsaber out of Ezra's hand. "Did your master not teach you anything?" He asked, continuing to make Ezra back away further. Ezra was too afraid to retort a comment. He felt his foot fall into a small hole in the ground, and he stumbled while he was still trying to get away from the Inquisitors red and now blue blades. Ezra fell on his back, and quickly sat up on the ground.

"Pathetic," The Inquisitor raised his lightsaber and Ezra closed his eyes. He was terrified. Thoughts began swarming his mind. _Is this how I die? I haven't lived long enough to die, not yet! I'm fifteen! I'll never become a Jedi!_ But instead of feeling panicked, he felt something else, something familiar. And this time, he knew what it was. Ezra opened his eyes, and raised his hands and shoved.

The Inquisitor shot back, but this time when he looked up he was enraged. Ezra looked over to Kanan, who seemed to be stirring, but not quite conscious yet. But Ezra knew that he could not keep force pushing the Inquisitor off for long. He needed Kanan. He needed someone, anyone to help him. But as he looked around the grassy field, he was alone.

The Inquisitor shot forward at the now standing Ezra, who had no idea what to do anymore. He put up his fists, hoping to somehow shield himself, even though he knew it was no use. But before the Inquisitor could strike him, a red blaster fire was shot inches away from his face stopped him in his tracks. Ezra looked up to see The Ghost hovering above the ground, firing at the Inquisitor.

His friends had saved him.

Ezra looked over, and Kanan had started to stand. Ezra ran over, the Inquisitor distracted by the ship firing at him, and helped Kanan up.

"Are you okay?"

"Kid, I'm more worried about you." Kanan looked up at the Ghost, which had blasted the ground underneath the Inquisitors feet, throwing him off balance temperamentally. But that was just enough time for them. The Ghost flew over to Kanan and Ezra, and lowered the ramp. Kanan looked to Ezra.

"I'll give you a boost." He said, and placed his hands on top of one another. Ezra understood, and placed his right foot in Kanan's palm.

Almost immediately he was shot up high into the air. A small yell escaped him, not acknowledging that Kanan would use the force on him. He shot up higher than the ship and he then fell, attempting to land on his feet but landing on his stomach instead. Kanan appeared beside him, gracefully landing on his feet. He looked down at Ezra, and gave a slight smile.

"Sorry about that. I'll teach you how to force jump later." He said, and grabbed onto a part of the ship as Zeb was doing.

Ezra stood up, but before Hera could raise the ramp, they heard the familiar sound of a Tie Fighter approaching. It began shooting, and it hit its target; flying away afterwards.

The Ghost began to shake from the blast, and Ezra, who did not have anything to hold onto, stumbled. He felt the ground slide from underneath his feet and the wind blowing his hair.

Quickly Ezra realized that he was falling.

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Zeb watched in horror as Ezra flailed his arms, trying to catch his balance, but failing, and falling off the ramp. He quickly looked over the edge, and saw Ezra descending downwards. Zeb felt his heart drop. He could not save him. He could not help him.

But as suddenly as it had happened, it had stopped. Ezra had stopped falling and began floating in midair. Zeb looked over to Kanan, who had his eyes closed and his hand outstretched. He looked back down and saw Ezra slowly coming back upwards, looking confused yet relieved that he was no longer falling.

But on the ground, there was a figure approaching quickly, with a red blade drawn. The Inquisitor was approaching the ship.

And they had nowhere to hide.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – So Long**

Zeb saw the Inquisitor approaching. He looked over at Kanan, who was still trying to pull Ezra onto the ship using the force. He pulled Ezra close enough for him to grab onto his arm, and he was about to pull him up when Ezra started being pulled in the other direction. Zeb looked down and saw the Inquisitor standing on the ground, trying to use the force to pull Ezra back. He looked back up to Kanan, whose look on his face expressed fear.

He could not hold onto Ezra for much longer.

Zeb quickly took out his bo-staff, and aiming it at the Inquisitor, and fired. The Inquisitor quickly dodged, but in doing so he released his pull on the kid. Kanan quickly pulled Ezra inside the ship as Zeb continued to fire shots. After Kanan made sure that Ezra had a hold on something, he took out his com and radioed Hera, and the ramp began lifting.

Zeb continued to fire down at the Inquisitor, trying to take him out. But he was too fast. The Inquisitor quickly took out his red lightsaber and began redirecting the shots towards them. Zeb fired once more, and it came barreling down at the Inquisitor, who quickly deflected it. However, when Zeb saw the direction in which the shot was heading, it was too late. The shot was coming right towards Ezra, whose eyes widened as it approached.

However, before it could reach him, a blue light shone in-between Ezra and the red laser, and deflected it back down on the planet. Kanan had saved him, and just in time.

The ramp raised as the ship continued to gain speed, and it headed into space. Kanan ran up to the cockpit, and Zeb followed. He entered and sat down in his seat as Hera piloted the ship into hyperspace. She sighed and relaxed a bit in her seat, as did Kanan and Sabine.

"What happened down there? And why was Ezra in that box?" Hera asked the rest of the crew.

"I'm not sure. But it's time we find out," Kanan replied.

"Great. Just one question – where is the kid?" Sabine asked, and Kanan stood up and walked out of the room. Sabine got up to follow, but Zeb stopped her.

"Maybe we should just leave them to themselves for a bit." Sabine gave Zeb a look, but when she looked over at Hera, who was nodding in agreement with Zeb, she sat back down.

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Kanan had checked all over the ship, but he could not find Ezra. He finally made his way back to the ramp, hoping to find Ezra there. And he did. He quickly slid down the ladder and was about to speak up when he saw Ezra up close.

He was still bleeding from his upper left arm, which had stained his clothes. He had a few cuts and bruises over his face, and Kanan suspected there were more. But what stood out the most to him was what he was doing. Ezra stood in the same position he had last seen him in. He was gripping onto the side ladder, and his knuckles were turning white. He was slightly shaking and he looked down at the ground. Kanan approached a little slower now, trying not to startle him.

"Ezra?" Kanan asked, looking at his padawan in concern. Ezra slowly tilted his head upward, only to reveal a frightened look on his face.

"Ezra, it's okay." Kanan said as he took another step closer. He could sense Ezra's fear, and he knew he had to calm his fear so that he could treat his wounds. "Ezra, you're not going to fall. The Inquisitor is not here. You're safe." Kanan could slowly feel Ezra's fear melting away, but he was still frozen to the spot.

"Ezra, it's okay. No one's going to hurt you. Zeb, Sabine, Hera, Chopper and I are all here. We're not going to let anything happen to you." Ezra slowly released the ladder, and looked up at Kanan. "Come on, Ezra. Let's go to the med bay." Kanan said, as he gently pushed him along.

When they got there, Ezra hopped onto the metal counter as Kanan found the bandages. Kanan first started wrapping his wounds, and he noticed that Ezra was still shaking slightly. After he was done, he sat down next to Ezra, who was picking at the bandages.

"Ezra…," Kanan said. "What happened?"

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Ezra picked at the bandages, not because they were irritating him, but because he felt slightly out of place. He knew that Kanan would ask him about everything that had happened, but Ezra was unsure. He did not know what to say, even if he wanted to talk about it. But as he predicted, Kanan had asked. And swallowing his pride, he answered.

"When…when I was alone, there was a gang that was in control of 22nd street. They terrorized everyone there, and recruited kids off the street. I knew that it was wrong, and that I shouldn't, but I was so desperate." Ezra looked up as Kanan, who was focused directly on him. It made him feel slightly awkward, but also reassuring at the same time. Ezra took another breath, and continued speaking.

"My first job was to deliver a package to a contact. They never told me who, but they did tell me not to open the box, because my life depended on it. But-" Ezra paused, not knowing what to say.

"You got curious." Kanan concluded, and Ezra shot back a sheepish look. "Yeah, I do that from time to time." He looked up at Kanan, who smiled a little, knowing how curious Ezra could be.

Ezra looked back to the ground as he continued. "And they found out that I looked inside it. So, I paid the price." Ezra slowly pulled down his collar of his shirt, revealing a red scar that wrapped around the right side of his neck.

Kanan's heart hit the floor. How could someone do this to a kid, to anyone? He looked at Ezra who seemed to be recalling the pain the scar brought.

"Anyway, I ran away from them, and they never forgave me for that." Ezra said, brushing it off. Kanan quickly walked up to Ezra and pulled his collar back down, examining the wound. Ezra looked up at Kanan, who seemed to be forming an idea.

"Wait right here." Kanan quickly left the room. A few moments later he returned, with something in his hands. "Ezra, was this what did that to you?" Kanan reveled to Ezra a blade with a long staff attached to it. On the end, there were two knifes that swirled in opposite directions. Ezra quickly retreated away from it, but he could not take his eyes off of it. His back quickly hit the wall, but he continued to try to escape.

"Ezra, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Kanan quickly placed the blade away from sight, and Ezra slowly calmed down. When he finally did, he looked back up at Kanan, who seemed to want to say something.

"Ezra, I hate to keep asking questions, but what was in the box?" Ezra started shifting his body again, obviously uncomfortable. He looked all around the room, and when he looked at Kanan, he sighed. He knew that he had to tell him.

"There was…a lightsaber. A green lightsaber," Ezra finally said.

"What did you do with it?"

"I don't remember." Ezra still shifted around. He did not like where this conversation was going.

"Ezra."

"I returned it, okay? End of story," Ezra admitted.

"Why was that so hard to say?" Kanan asked.

"When you live alone, doing a good deed doesn't exactly get people to back off." Ezra crossed his arms, feeling slightly angry but also a little afraid. He saw Kanan looking at him with sadness, and the next thing Ezra knew he was being embraced by his master. He was shocked for a minute, frozen in his tracks.

Sensing this, Kanan drew away, put kept his hands on his shoulders. "What's wrong?" Ezra knew he could not answer this. But Kanan could see it on his face. It was written all over him. Again, Kanan embraced him.

"You don't always have to be so strong." With that, Ezra's barriers slowly melted away, and he hugged Kanan back. It had been so long since he had done this. So long…

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Read &amp; Review

~ Kavella ~


	10. Chapter 10

Hello! Sorry for the long wait, I've been super busy. I also decided that I wanted to continue this story out for a few more chapters. Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 10 – Memories**

Kanan exited the med bay, with Ezra still inside. He walked down the hallways and into the cockpit, where Hera sat piloting the ship. Kanan walked up and took the seat next to her.

"Kanan, what happened out there?" Hera asked with concern in her voice.

"Ezra had a run in with a gang that he used to be a part of." Kanan stated. He looked over and saw Hera's look of concern, and knew that he had the same look.

"I knew the kid was alone but I never thought…"

"That he would join a gang?" Kanan said, finishing Hera's sentence. "Yeah, me either."

Hera sighed. "Kanan, there are so many things that we don't know about him. He was all alone for _seven_ years. Who knows what he could have gotten himself into?" Kanan stared out the window of the Ghost, looking out at the grassy plains of Lothal.

He knew that Ezra got into trouble easily now, and he could only imagine what kind of mischief a curious eight year old could stumble upon. He remembered back to when Kanan had just met the kid, on the mission to steal the supplies and weapons. Ezra was defensive, shallow, and kept to himself. But the longer he stayed, the more apparent it was to Kanan that it was all an act. Sure, Ezra was stubborn and not afraid to pick a fight, but he was also courageous and had strong willpower. And even behind that, Kanan could see his wounds.

"Kanan?" Hera said, pulling him away from his thoughts of his padawan. He looked over at Hera, who had a confused look on her face.

"What is it?"

"The ramp just opened up." Hera pointed to a light on her control panel of the ship, which was now ignited. "Who would be going anywhere now?" Kanan was slightly confused by this. He knew Ezra was still in the med bay, Chopper wouldn't want to go anywhere anyway, and Zeb was usually asleep by now. The only person he could think of was Sabine, but she usually never wandered off.

"You know, the last time this happened, it was Ezra who had left. Do you think…?"

"Not possible. He was still in the med bay," Kanan stated.

"Then who else could have left?"

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The door slid shut, leaving Ezra and his raw emotions alone. He sat on the counter, still not trusting himself to look up. As he though reflecting over his memories, he could only recall bad ones. However, Kanan's hug had made him feel better, but he still did not feel right. He had opened his emotions up to someone, which still felt foreign to him. He only had some select memories from his life before the Empire ruined it.

And from that moment on, he remembered more than he wanted to.

However, he had become more accustomed to it. Kanan had taught him that he needed to open himself to the force if he wanted to become a Jedi. Yet at the same time, it was still difficult. He could not explain the feeling he had, not even to himself.

Sighing, Ezra slid off the counter. He grabbed his left arm and gently rubbed it, trying to get the burning feeling to subside. Giving up after a few tries; he let his right hand slide down to his wrist. It was then when he realized why something did not feel right. He looked down at his wrist and confirmed his suspicions. His slingshot was gone.

And he knew who took it. Swearing under his breath, he walked out of the med bay and down towards the ramp. He picked up his backpack which lied haphazardly on the ground, and checked inside. He had a wrench, a few bombs courtesy of Sabine, and a few other miscellaneous items. He closed the top of the backpack and threw it over his shoulders. He was about to open the ramp when her heard a voice behind him.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Ezra whipped around to see Sabine standing a few feet away from her.

"Sabine? What are you doing here?" Ezra asked.

"The better question is, what are _you_ doing here?" Sabine stated, jabbing her pointer finger at Ezra.

"You wouldn't understand." Ezra turned around and faced the ramp again. "They took it. The one thing I had…the one thing I _owned_…and they took it." Ezra pushed the button and the ramp descended, landing on the grassy planet's surface.

"Ezra…" Sabine said, but he cut her off.

"Don't try to stop me. I have to do this."

"I wasn't going to stop you. I'm coming with you," Sabine said. Ezra turned around, not expecting this response. Sabine put her helmet on, and shouted "Let's go!" before running off the ramp and in the direction of the town. Ezra smiled, the first time in a while, and took off after her.

He was going to get his property back, and face the people who he feared. But this time, he had a friend to help him out.

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Read &amp; Review

I might not be able to upload again for a little while, but I will try my best.

~ Kavella ~


	11. Chapter 11

Hello! So I will be go back to my normal update schedule, every Tuesday and Friday. Hope you like this chapter!

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**Chapter 11 – Replacement**

Ezra led the way to 22nd street. Sabine was right behind him, twisting and turning down the winding streets of Lothal. The teens rounded the corner and slowed down in front of an abandoned warehouse. Ezra sneaked around the corner with Sabine close behind, going down the alley in between the warehouse and the building next to it. He walked up to the side of the building where a steel door was locked shut. He keeled down in front of a ventilation shaft that was located just behind the door, touching the cold ground. Ezra took out his screwdriver from his backpack and started taking off the screws.

"Hurry up, we don't want to be spotted," Sabine said as she glanced around their surroundings.

"Got it!" Ezra said in a hushed yell, as the ventilation cover clattered to the ground. Ezra crouched down and slid himself in, and Sabine followed behind. They slowly made their way into the building, taking lefts and rights, and feeling slightly cramped in the air shaft.

"Ezra – are you _sure _you know where we're going?" Sabine pestered, as they took a left and continued on.

"Yes I'm sure, Sabine. I know what I'm doing." Ezra crawled over to a vent, where he began unscrewing it. Ezra slid the crate over to the side and jumped down. Ezra landed with a slight thud, while Sabine landed lightly, making no noise. They were on top of a catwalk overlooking a large room, that had debris scattered around. The skylights on the ceiling illuminated the people below. Ezra and Sabine crouched and slowly approached the edge of the catwalk, carefully staying in the shadows.

Below, they saw a few people facing one man. The person at the head of the group had blond hair with bangs, and was wearing a black tank top. There were about ten men behind him, along with a woman, who stood closest to the blond haired man. The man who was facing them was a figure in a cloak. From what Ezra could perceive from their figure, he or she had two horns on the top of their head. Listening into their conversation, Ezra and Sabine stayed hidden.

The figure folded his arms and looked up at the man standing before him. "But, do you have what I came here for, Ash?"

Sabine looked over at Ezra, who tensed up at the sound of the man's name.

"Ezra, are you sure about this?" Sabine asked in a whisper, but Ezra continued glaring at the man, Ash. "Ezra?"

"I have to. I have to…" Ezra continued glaring and Sabine knew not to ask more questions. It was obvious that this was personal.

The man with the blond hair took a step forward and pulled out a small grey object, and Ezra immediately recognized the object. It was his slingshot. Acting rashly, Ezra stood up and shouted down at the men.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"Ezra-" Sabine said, still in a hushed voice, and tried to grab him before he stepped into the light. But she was too late. Ezra was at the edge of the catwalk looking down at the men. He saw Ash smirk at him, as if he was joking.

"Well, hello there. I'm guessing you mean this," He said, gesturing to the slingshot that he held. "But unfortunately, I already have a buyer." He gestured to the cloaked man standing before him, who stood in a neutral stance.

"Give it back." Ezra ignored Ash's taunts, as his anger grew.

He knew that letting his emotions control his actions was wrong, but the only thing he could think about was his father. His real father, not Kanan, who had somewhat become a replacement, over the last few weeks he had been living with the rebels. The slingshot was the only thing he had left, other than his last name. But his last name was just that – a name. Not an actual object. Pushing his thoughts away, he focused on the task at hand.

"I don't think so, boy. But I'll make a deal with you. How about, you surrender, and… I'll let you live?"

* * *

Kanan knew who had left from the moment Hera had spoken up. He just could not bring himself to believe it. Hera followed him into the med bay, and when they saw that it was abandoned, they exchanged glances.

"Where could he have gone?" Hera asked, her temper quickly rising to the surface. "Of all the stunts he has pulled, this has _got_ to be the dumbest." Hera continued her rant, cursing under her breath. She let out a sigh, and looked at Kanan. "You get Zeb, I'll get Sabine. We need to figure out where he went." Hera quickly walked out and Kanan followed.

Why was this kid so bad at following orders? Kanan let out a sigh, as he realized why. He had been alone. Kanan could not even to begin to imagine what it had felt like for him, for he did not even want to retouch how he felt when he was alone. He approached Zeb's door, and opened it.

Zeb was lying on the bottom bunk, as per usual, and he turned when the door opened.

"What is it?" He asked, standing up from his bunk.

"It's Ezra. He's missing." Kanan said, cutting straight to the point.

"Well, don't look at me. I didn't say anything to him." Zeb said, defending himself.

"I know, Zeb. He ran off by himself. Do you have any idea what he could possibly be doing?"

"I don't have a clue. Who knows where that kid could be," Zeb said, crossing his arms in frustration. But Kanan could sense his emotions emitting off of him. Zeb was just as worried as he was.

Kanan was about to continue the conversation when Hera burst through the doors.

"Sabine went with him," Hera said.

"What?" Zeb and Kanan shouted as Hera caught her breath.

"Luckily, she knew better than leaving without a trace. Read her note." Hera extended her arm out to Kanan, and he took the note from her hand.

_Following Ezra. Something about a gang. We'll need backup. _

Kanan shook his head as he handed the note over to Zeb. Of course Sabine would follow him; she knew that the stakes would be stacked against Ezra. But she could not help him alone.

"Come on, we need to find them." Kanan said, walking out of the room with Hera and Zeb following behind. "Ezra said something about 22nd street."

"He said that when he had the nightmare too." Zeb said, and Kanan glanced back.

"Then that's where we're headed."

* * *

Ezra tensed, sensing that a fight was coming. He knew that he had no weapons on him, and he knew that below him stood people who would snap his neck without breaking a sweat. But he chose to ignore this fact, because –

"EZRA!" Sabine shouted, and as he whipped around to see what was happening, one of the men was charging at him, and before he could react, he felt the pain in his chest, and soon after in his back, and the next thing he knew he felt a rush of wind. He could hear himself scream, but it felt as if it was coming from someone else. He quickly felt the impact of the cold ground as he closed his eyes.

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Read &amp; Review

~ Kavella ~


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 – Darkness**

Hello! I hope you like this chapter, it was a little harder for me to write. Feel free to ask any questions that you may have.

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"EZRA!"

Sabine saw Ezra quickly spin around to face the muscular man who was charging at him. But he was too late. The man rammed into him, and the momentum of the force threw Ezra into the railing on the catwalk, which quickly crumbled due to improper maintenance in the abandoned warehouse. Sabine saw Ezra's body plunge down off of the catwalk, and heard his excruciating scream.

Sabine was afraid. Ezra was injured, and his scream had left her frozen in her tracks. Quickly letting her instincts take over, she ran up to the man who had hurt Ezra. She shot her fist toward the man's forehead, which knocked him out almost instantly. Sabine looked over the ledge to see if Ezra was okay. But she could not see him from where she stood.

Cursing under her breath, she heard a blaster shoot from behind her. Instinctively, she quickly found cover behind one of the pillars that supported the building. Taking out her own blaster, she peered out from behind the pillar and saw three other gang members with their weapons drawn. She aimed and fired, and hit her target.

One down, two to go.

The other men began firing, and Sabine crouched down with her back against the pillar. She was breathing heavily, unsure of how they were going to get out of this.

On other missions, Hera or Kanan would be here. Even though Sabine was fully capable of handling herself, it had been a nice reassurance that someone was going to have her back and make up the plan.

The plan. What was theirs? Sabine mentally face palmed. They had just thrown caution to the wind and ran into the building, without a plan. She should have known better. Peering around the corner and returning a few shots before taking cover again, Sabine pulled out one of her bombs. She connected it to the pillar, and sprang up from behind its cover. She quickly began firing multiple shots, and hit one of the men, who fell onto the ground. She hastily backed up to the next pillar and dove behind its cover once more. Setting another bomb, she leaped up again, but this time, they were waiting.

* * *

Ezra felt his body impact harshly on the floor. His eyes were closed, and he could hear himself grunt with the impact. His back and chest hurt, and Ezra badly wanted to embrace the pain and fall into unconsciousness, but he knew that he should not. He had to stay awake.

He sucked in a deep breath, ignoring the pain, and opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, and the world slowly came into focus. He remembered what had happened, and quickly forced himself to adjust faster. He rolled onto his stomach, and using his arms tried to push himself up. His arms quivered at the movement, but he slowly he began to rise.

But before he could, he felt an impact on his back that made him crash onto the floor once more. He looked up and saw Ash standing over him, with his boot on Ezra's back. Ezra quickly tried to scramble away, but he was not able to.

"Well, well. I've been waitin' for this moment for a long time now, boy." Ash smirked, and promptly kicked Ezra in the side with his free foot, as he supported his weight onto the foot that was on his back. Ezra winced at the pain, and bit his lip refusing to let any noise escape. Ash lifted his foot from Ezra's back, but before he could blink Ash kicked him again. The force of the kicks slowly slid him further under the catwalk. Ezra tried to slowly get away, but Ash continued to kick him over and over again, on his side and a few times in his face, until he was jolted into a pile of debris.

He felt two hands grab him from under his arms and hold him up, but his black bangs covered his eyes and prevented him from seeing them. His feet dangled helplessly in the air. He could not force himself to focus; he was too busy trying to regain his breathing.

He heard blaster shots coming from somewhere else; but he was not sure anymore. He could not catch his breath and his vision was becoming blurred. He heard some sort of crash, but when he looked up; he only saw a fist before everything turned black. And this time he gratefully accepted the darkness that engulfed him.

* * *

Sabine emerged from the pillar and all she saw was a fist before she was on the ground. Quickly reacting, she swung her leg in a half circle, trying to take her opponent down. But the woman jumped over her leg and landed on top of her. Sabine struggled as the woman held her wrists down on the floor.

"My, my. Aren't you quiet the artist youngling?" The woman's croaky voice echoed through her ears. The woman was trying to make her upset, to keep her off balance. But Sabine was stronger than she looked.

Sabine used her legs to kick the woman in the stomach. The woman flew off of Sabine and collided with the man who stood behind her. They both went down, allowing Sabine time to get up and attach another bomb to a pillar with no one seeing.

Sabine quickly ran to the edge of the catwalk, hoping to find Ezra. She had her plan in motion. It would not be as elaborate as Kanan's or as well thought out as Hera's, but it would work.

It had to work.

Sabine peered over the edge, where she saw Ezra being picked up by two guys, and he did not look to good. The gang leader, Ash, walked over to Ezra. Sabine pulled out her gun and aimed. She needed to be precise if she wanted to help Ezra. She would not let anything happen to him. She let out a breath, and pulled the trigger.

But she did not hit her target.

The next thing she knew, Sabine was being tackled by the woman, the red laser going miles from where she had intended it to go. She suddenly felt the rush of falling, and Sabine knew she had only seconds to react. The problem was, the woman fell with her, and had Sabine restricted from landing on her feet. Sabine struggled, but she could not gain an advantage over the woman. She landed with full impact on the ground, and the wind was knocked right out of her.

The woman stood up, having forced Sabine to absorb the impact. Sabine closed her eyes, still struggling to move.

She felt someone start dragging her across the filthy floor, but Sabine was breathing too shallowly to try and resist. She was thrown on her back against a pillar by one of the men, with her hands restricted by the rough texture of the rope.

Sabine finally shook off the feeling of shock and regained her breath. She looked up and saw a limp Ezra being dragged over to the pillar next to her. Instinctively she tried to get up and help him, but her tied arms restricted her. She watched as Ezra was tied up, his limp body not moving an inch.

Things were not going as planned.

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So I just wanted to thank everyone for reading this. You have no idea how happy I get when I read the comments. It just makes my day.

~ Kavella ~


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - Vanishing**

Hello! I hope you like this chapter!

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Things were not going as planned.

Sabine had placed the bombs on the pillars, but she needed her hands to activate it for them to escape. And her hands were currently restricted with rope. She also needed Ezra to be conscious so he could run out of the building with her, but he was currently not. All the gang members walked over to them, minus the few Sabine had managed to kill, and surrounded them.

The leader of the gang, Ash, crouched over Ezra's limp body, and took out a metal knife from his back pocket. The other gang members snickered as he looked down upon the unconscious Ezra.

"Don't you dare hurt him, or I swear-" Sabine said, trying desperately to untie her hands from the rope that bounded her to the pillar.

"You're in no position to stop me, girl." Ash violently slashed the blade down. Sabine heard it tore open the cloth and tissue with a sickening noise as Ezra flinched and groaned at the sudden pain, but remained unconscious. Sabine continued to struggle with the ropes that bound her hands, desperately trying to find a way out. She hated feeling helpless. But as the gang member struck down again, this time aimed at Ezra's forearm, she knew that hope was quickly vanishing.

* * *

Kanan led down the street, with Hera and Zeb in tow, but he did not know where he was going. Sabine only mentioned the gang, which had led them to the street, but she left no clue of what building they were in. And since the street was a main road, it was considerably lengthy. As if sensing this, Hera spoke up.

"So which building _exactly_ are Ezra and Sabine in?" Kanan turned around to face Hera, who had stopped walking. Zeb, knowing that an argument was about to break out between the two, removed himself from the conversation.

"I'm not sure," Kanan responded.

"Then why are we already halfway down the street? We could have passed them."

"We didn't though. There's something else."

"Well, are you going to tell me or are we going to stand around here all day?"

"I was going to tell you, but then you cut me off," Kanan bantered. He slowly walked toward an alleyway in between two buildings. "It's something relating to Ezra's force connection to me. A few minutes ago, it lessened." Kanan looked off to the side, where people continued going about their daily business. On his right, Zeb seemed to be looking around, avoiding their conversation.

"Which means?"

"It means that Ezra may not be conscious." Kanan saw the worried look that Hera displayed. He wanted to tell her good news about the situation, but unfortunately there was only bad left to tell. "And because of this, I'm not able to sense him very clearly."

"Kanan you should have told us this sooner."

"I know, it's just that-"

"Uhh…Kanan?" Zeb's voice interrupted.

"One minute, Zeb." Kanan dismissed his comment, focusing on his conversation with Hera. "I just didn't want you to worry more than you have been."

"Well now I'm worrying more since you left out that important detail. We're wasting time!"

"Um… Hera?" Zeb looked up from what he saw, but they were deep in an argument.

"I know we're wasting time, but if I got closer to Ezra, I might be able to sense him."

"So you were basing the whole search on the slim chance that you _might_ sense him if you got close enough?"

"Yes- wait, no."

"Yes or no?"

"Hey!" Zeb shouted, finally getting the attention of his teammates. He rolled his eyes at the bickering couple. "Look!" He pointed down at the ground, and Kanan followed the direction in which he was pointing.

On the side of the building, a grate that was supposed to be covering the small ventilation shaft was leaning on the side. There were four screws scattered nearby.

Kanan looked back up at Hera, who seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

That was Ezra's handiwork.

* * *

After feeling satisfied from carving up Ezra's left arm, the man stood up and faced his client.

"Take the device and leave."

Sabine looked up at the figure under the cloak, and noticed more than she did the first time. The client was actually a woman Togurta. She took the device from the hand that was outstretched towards her.

"Now," Ash walked over to the woman and continued speaking. "Let's talk _price._"

Sabine glanced over at Ezra, who seemed to be slowly waking up from unconsciousness. But seeing his injuries, she now hoped he would stay asleep.

"Yeah, about that." The words captured Sabine's attention, knowing that they were not good. As if on cue, the Togurta rammed her foot into Ash's stomach, throwing him into a pile of debris. The other gang members started attacking. The woman calmly continued to take them out, with a style of fighting Sabine had not been familiar yet.

The woman grabbed the arm of the man closest to her, pulling him forward and elbowing him in the stomach, and quickly threw him into another man, knocking them both out. More men were charging at her, but she effectively used their momentum against them. She punched and tripped, and dodged and ducked. Not missing a beat, she side kicked the last man down.

Sabine sat, stunned at the Togurta's agility and reflexes. She took on a bunch of reckless, but well trained fighters and came out without a scratch. Sabine was suspiciously impressed.

The woman began approaching Sabine, and she struggling again, unsure if she was on their side or not.

"Calm down, it's okay." The woman's reassuring voice rang out, as she untied the rope that bound Sabine's hands. Sabine was grateful, but suspicious as she rubbed her wrists that burned from the rope. But when she looked up, the woman was gone. Confused, she looked around, but she was no longer in the building.

A groan from her side reminded Sabine that Ezra was conscious.

"Ezra?" She asked as she dragged herself over to him. "Ezra, can you hear me?"

"Sabine?" His eyes were unfocused, and he showed a look of confusion on his face. "What-" But before Ezra could continue his sentence, a moan escaped him as a result of the pain. She looked down, noticing that his left forearm was covered in dark red, as well as a few slashes on his side near his ribs.

"It's okay. Just stay calm."

But his moan was not the only one.

Around them, the gang members were recovering from the Togurta's attack. Wasting no time, Sabine brought out her detonator.

"I hope this works." She pressed the button, and the explosion erupted through the night.

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~ Kavella ~


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 – Explosion**

Hello! I am so sorry that this is late, but I hope you like this chapter!

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Kanan heard the explosion erupt. It shook the ground as pieces of the building began to crumble. The minute the shaking stopped, Kanan looked up at Zeb and Hera. They both had worried looks on their face, knowing that the explosion was Sabine's handiwork. Zeb rushed to the door and started hammering his fists on it, but it was bolted shut.

Kanan dashed up, and connecting his lightsaber together, he ignited the blue light that illuminated the alleyway. He was thankful that the explosion had driven any pedestrians out of view, but this also told him that the Empire would be making an appearance soon. He injected his lightsaber into the door's frame and began slicing a hole for them to enter into.

The minute he was done, the now dismantled door fell into the blazing building. Kanan charged in first, without a second thought, as did Hera. However, Kanan could hear Zeb mumble about the kid getting them all killed before he joined.

The building was ablaze, most of the fire coming from the roof. The structure would not hold for long, since two out of the six columns that supported the building were destroyed, with a third one on its way.

The crew members covered their mouths and noses from the smoke, glancing around the flaming building looking for their missing members. They ran around piles of debris from the ceiling and piles of rocks lying around. The black smoke hindered their ability to see, but as they dodged a piece of falling brick, they spotted a figure lying on the ground.

It was Sabine. Immediately, the crew rushed over to her. She was coughing badly, but appeared conscious at the moment.

Hera leaned down and tried to sooth her, but Sabine's pained expression got Kanan's attention. He glanced down at her legs, and found the source of her pain. A medium piece of the ceiling tile had fallen directly on her right ankle. It sliced her ankle, and the blood was still seeping out. Kanan motioned at Zeb, who came over and grabbed a side of it.

Making eye contact with Hera, she knew what they were going to do. Zeb, as gently as he could, ripped out the tile from Sabine's ankle. Her cry of pain would be implanted in Kanan's memory.

He pointed to the door, signaling Hera and Zeb to get Sabine to safety. They had all started to cough as badly as Sabine had, but Kanan had unfinished business.

He needed to find his padawan.

Attempting to further investigate, he tried to walk deeper into the flaming building. A sudden coughing attack suddenly stuck him, rendering him onto his knees, unable to breathe fresh air. He placed his hand on the floor, slowly recovering.

But when he picked up his hand, there was a sticky substance on it. Kanan looked at his hand, trying to identify the red substance. Looking back down, he saw rope and more of the red substance.

Not a substance. Blood.

Following the direction of the blood, it looked as if the person it belonged to was dragged out the side door. The smeared red stain on the floor was evidence enough.

Kanan stood, still struggling to breathe, and staggered out the door, in hopes of finding Ezra.

* * *

Ezra was bewildered, to say the least. He had tried to listen to Sabine's voice, but he could not get his mind to focus. He saw her take something out, and then-

Nothing.

The next thing he knew he was on the cold pavement, outside. It was dark and the smell of smoke filled the air. He rolled himself over and attempted to push himself to his feet, but a surge of pain rocketed from his left arm. He completely dropped to the ground again, and brought his forearm up so he could see it.

And what he saw wanted to make him puke. He could not see the actual wound, but his suit was stained red, and the blood was still seeping out in large amounts. Not to mention the pain. It was as if someone set his arm on fire. He groaned, but his pain attracted unwanted attention.

He heard footsteps stop in front of him, and he looked up at the female Togurta who stood before him. She crouched down, and held out her hand. Hesitantly, he looked into her palm. She was holding his slingshot.

"I heard you lost something that belonged to you." She smiled as Ezra quickly grabbed it, his arm temporally forgotten.

"Who _are_ you?" He asked.

"The name's Ahsoka." The Togurta stood up, and looked down at the force sensitive child. "I was just returning a favor." She lifted her cloak hood over her head. Ezra looked back down at the slingshot. He could not believe that it had been her. After all these years, she remembered what he did for her. She remembered the lightsaber, which had gotten him kicked out of the gang in the first place.

Ezra looked up, hoping to thank her, but she had vanished.

The sound of coughing broke him from his thoughts. He looked towards the noise, and there stood Kanan. He staggered over to Ezra, and fell down onto his knees when he reached him, still coughing.

"Ezra?" He managed to rasp out, looking at his padawan in worry.

"Kanan? What are you-" Ezra was still feeling light headed, and the smoke from the fire did not help his cause. He began to cough uncontrollably, curling himself into a ball, trying to catch his breath. After what felt like ages, Ezra finally took control of his breathing again. Still lying on the ground, he looked over at Kanan, finding him unconscious.

"Kanan!" Ezra tried desperately to get to Kanan. He rolled over onto his stomach and army crawled the short distance to Kanan. He grabbed his shoulder, shaking him gently. As Ezra's panic increased, the shaking became more violent.

"Kanan!" Ezra cried again, but Kanan continued to lie still.

"Well, hello there _friend_. We meet again." The voice startled Ezra, making him whip his head up to see the source of it.

But when he saw who was there, it just added to his fear.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	15. Chapter 15

Hello! Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I promise the next one will be longer. Hope you like this chapter!

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**Chapter 15 – Defeat **

Zeb was struggling to carry Sabine's legs as they dashed out the exit of the flaming building. It was not that she was heavy, but she was struggling. She kept on screaming something, but Zeb could barely make out the words.

Hera carried Sabine from the front, and led the way. When they reached the exit and entered into the cold, dark night, Zeb could not feel more relieved. Panting heavily from the lack of oxygen, Hera and Zeb fell to the ground, dropping Sabine.

Zeb felt the cool cement on his hands, which contrasted the heat he felt on his face. They had come dangerously close to the flames.

The noise from the roaring fire had subsided when they had exited the building, and Zeb could not hear Sabine's cries. She slowly lowered her voice as she continued muttering one word.

Ezra.

The wave of guilt hit Zeb like a ship going into hyperspace. It was his fault the kid was here in the first place. He never thought it would end up this way, all because of a stupid comment. Now Ezra's life was on the line, and judging by the way Sabine called his name, he must be in serious danger. He wished he could take it back; he was only teasing the kid. He never expected this to happen.

"Freeze!" Zeb whipped his head around, and he saw the soldiers coming up to the burning building. They had their guns raised and pointed at them. Zeb saw Hera glance into the building that was still engulfed in flames, and he knew what she was thinking. Kanan should have come out by now. Something had gone wrong.

Zeb looked back down at Sabine, who seemed to be slowly coming back into reality, although still in a great deal of pain. She was in no shape to fight, and the troopers seemed to continue to come flooding around them.

They were outnumbered.

Yet something seemed amiss to Zeb. As he looked around, there was something…missing. However, he could not pin his finger on it. He glanced at Hera, who seemed to still have hoped that they could get out of the situation they were in. She made no move to draw her weapon, yet she did not throw her arms up in surrender. The troopers shouted again.

"Surrender, rebels!" That phrase had confirmed that something was wrong. Zeb did not understand how the troopers knew that they were rebels. Usually they only knew that if-

A chilling voice tore Zeb from his thoughts, forcing him back to the situation at hand.

"I would advise doing so, unless you wanted anything to happen to the boy." Kallus stood before Zeb and Hera, who froze in their tracks.

They looked over at the unconscious, bloody Ezra, and their fear rose.

Slowly, Hera and Zeb raised their arms in defeat.

* * *

"Well, hello there _friend_. We meet again."

Ezra looked up at the source of the voice, and found Kallus standing above him, an evil grin on his face. Ezra froze his right arm still on Kanan's shoulder.

"And to think that I'll get all the fame for catching the rebel insurgents, while the Inquisitor gets nothing." Kallus put his Bo-rifle away, knowing that Ezra was defenseless. Kallus reached down and grabbed Ezra's left arm, and the stinging from the knife cuts worsened. Ezra let out a gasp of pain as he was jerked up off the ground, away from his master.

"Continue struggling, boy, it won't help your wounds here." Kallus smirked again as he watched Ezra struggle. Ezra started to panic. Kanan was unconscious from the smoke inhalation, and Ezra did not know how to help him. He eventually felt the ground start to move beneath his dragging legs, but black spots started infiltrating his vision, and his arm felt like it was on fire. Not to mention how much blood he had lost already, the agitation to the wounds were going to make it worse.

Ezra, deciding quickly, went limp. He thought if he could fool Kallus into thinking he was unconscious, he might have an advantage to escape and get back to Kanan.

He could still smell the smoke in the crisp night air. His memory was still missing gaps. He forgot how the building caught on fire, but he did know that Kanan could be dying for all he knew, and it was Ezra's fault. If he was not being dragged like a rag doll, he would have slapped himself. Ezra had let his emotions get in the way. Kanan would be disappointed.

"I would advise doing so, unless you wanted anything to happen to the boy." Ezra was confused by this statement, thinking it was directed at him, before he realized. It was directed at his friends. Ezra forced himself to keep his eyes closed, continuing to feign unconsciousness, even though everything hurt.

But something was wrong.

He heard a shout, but he could not make out the words. Suddenly he was harshly dropped onto the cold ground, offering relief for his burning arm. Ezra, unsure of what to do, continued to pretend to be unconscious. His mind was still on the verge of doing so anyway. Everything was muffled and distant somehow, but he heard struggling and more shouting, and after a few moments, the sound of a lightsaber igniting.

The sound pierced through the boy's drifting mind, and snapped him back to reality. He shot up, opening his eyes.

But he did not like what he saw.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	16. Chapter 16

Hello! So this chapter took me a while to write, and I admit that it may not be the best. But nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Chapter 16 – For Him**

Before the rebels stood Kallus, but Zeb was not looking at the smirk on his face. He was looking at the limp boy in Kallus's grasp. Ezra had a blood stain near his stomach, and the arm that Kallus was holding was smeared with blood, which was beginning to smear on the ISB agent's clothes as well.

Zeb was worried. Ezra was in the grasp of Kallus, the merciless devil who killed his family, who ripped everyone he knew away from him.

He would not let the same thing happen to Ezra. He lost his family once; and he swore it would never happen again.

He growled as he was forced to put his hands into the air. Hera had done the same, and Sabine had gone quiet. Zeb did not know if this was because she had passed out or had snapped back to reality. Knowing how deep the tile had cut into her ankle, he hoped it was the first one.

Kallus scoffed.

"Pathetic," Kallus said, as he tightened his grip on Ezra's arm. "Arrest them!" The troopers began to move forward, but before they could, a figure shot down from the sky and landed in front of the rebels.

Kanan stood up before them, and instantly went into action. He struck quickly and precisely, removing the gun from the closest trooper's hands. He threw the gun behind him, and used the force to push him into another. Kanan began taking out the rest of the troopers, while Hera and Zeb drew their weapons to help out.

Kanan took out the last trooper standing between him and Kallus, and ran up to them.

"Stay back!" Kallus warned, putting Ezra in between Kanan and himself. Kallus ignited his Bo-Rifle; its yellow electric tip mere centimeters from Ezra's torso. Kanan came to a halt, fearing for his padawan's life. "That's right Jedi. Your compassion his your wea-"

The sound of a blaster shot cut him off, as his weapon fell to the ground. Kallus looked up, as did Kanan to see the origin of the shot. Sabine stood with both hands on her gun, which was smoking from the laser that left only moments ago.

Zeb appeared in front of Sabine, approaching Kallus quickly.

"Let him go." Kanan stated.

"Considering I don't want any of his filthy blood on me anymore, I'll oblige." Kallus dropped the unconscious Ezra, who landed with a sickening thud. Kallus quickly picked up his Bo-Staff and after igniting it once more, turned to face the charging Lasat. Their yellow and purple tips clashed together.

Kanan tried to make his way over to Ezra, but the reinforcements had arrived. More Stromtroopers rounded the corner and began firing.

The rebels were quickly becoming outnumbered.

Kanan drew his lightsaber and ignited it. The blue glow of it contrasted the night sky, as he began to reflect the red lasers.

As he deflected another shot back to the origin, he admitted to himself that this plan of his had not been the greatest.

* * *

Ezra awoke with a start, sitting up violently. He looked around, trying to get a grasp on what was going on. But it did not look promising.

A laser whipped by his head, causing Ezra to pull himself towards cover. Rolling over onto all fours, discounting his left arm which he held tightly to his chest, he crawled as quickly as his body would allow. He ducked behind the edge of a building, and was finally out of the line of fire. He was surprised he had made it without getting shot.

Then he realized who the target was.

Kanan stood, deflecting the lasers from oncoming troopers. He glanced over, where Hera was firing her blaster, but being pushed closer and closer towards the burning building. Nearby, he saw Zeb taking down Stromtroopers, trying to get by the blockade they had created. Ezra looked in the direction that Zeb wanted to go, and he saw Kallus and Sabine fighting; and Sabine was losing.

Ezra's breath began to quicken. Everything was happening so fast. Kanan and the troopers, Hera and the fire, Sabine with Kallus, Zeb being unable to help her. Ezra's head felt as if it was going to split in two. They were all risking their lives. They were all going to die…for him.

"No." Ezra said, as a familiar feeling rose inside him. "No, no, no. Stop, j- just-" The feeling rushed through Ezra's body, overwhelming him.

"STOP!" Ezra shouted, and he felt the feeling inside of him rush out. Feeling drained of energy, Ezra slumped to the ground, having to use his arms to keep him up, despite the pain. He stared at the ground, not wanting to know if whatever he had done had worked; if anything had happened at all. But even if he did look up, it would not have mattered, for the young padawan fell onto the ground, his eye lids too heavy to stay awake anymore.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	17. Chapter 17

Hello! I just want to thank you all for reading this story. 30,000 views! I flipped when I saw this! Thank you all so much! As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Chapter 17 – Broken**

Pain shot through Kanan. He dropped to the ground, his body unable to sustain it. At first, he thought that a blaster shot had slipped by the protection of his lightsaber, but as his hands slid across his torso, he proved himself wrong.

Then came the noise.

It sounded like a piercing tone, so high that Kanan had to put his hands over his ear to try and block it out. It lasted for what felt like centuries, and Kanan could feel his ears and head aching from the noise. Kanan just wanted it to stop before he passed out and his head split into two.

And he got his wish.

The noise stopped abruptly, and Kanan slowly removed his hands from his ears, the tone still ringing through his mind. Kanan realized that he the noise had dropped him to his knees, his face just a couple of centimeters from the cold ground. Slowly he gathered himself, steading his breathing, and looked up. And he was shocked at what he saw.

The Stromtroopers that were firing at Kanan moments ago were now lying on the ground, their blasters scattered around them. Confused, he slowly stood. Looking around, the same had happened to the other troopers, and…Hera. Kanan sprinted over to where she laid, ignoring the pain, and he supported her upright with her shoulders. Checking her pulse, he was relieved when he felt a steady beat.

But what had done this?

Kanan looked around again, this time taking in more of his surroundings, and noticed that all the troopers, including Kallus, had been knocked out. He saw Sabine and Zeb, who were lying on the ground as well.

Kanan was bewildered. How could something like this have happened?

The fire in the building had been reduced to a black smoke, and the sun had started to illuminate the sky. He laid Hera down gently, as something else had caught his attention. He could sense something coming from around the edge of a building.

He walked over, cautious as to what could be there. But when he rounded the corner, he saw the last thing he expected. Or rather, the last person he expected.

On the ground laid Ezra, and illuminated by the dim sunlight, Kanan could see his eyes closed just like the rest. But Kanan could sense that he was still conscious, just…asleep? Kanan walked up to him and rolled him over, and he stirred gently. He gently shook him, hoping to wake him. He soon saw his own reflection in Ezra's electric blue eyes.

"Ezra?" Kanan asked, his hope quickly returning.

"Wha-" Ezra looked up at Kanan, confused. He shook his head, hoping to ward off the haze. Kanan heard him suck in his breath, and Ezra rubbed his eyes with his right hand. "What happened?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question." Sitting up straighter, Ezra was able to see the people around them.

"Did-" he gulped, trying to take everything in. "Did I do this?"

"I...I think you did." Kanan saw fear rise in Ezra's eyes. "It's okay; they're alive and well, just…unconscious." His words seemed to calm Ezra down slightly. A look of worry still lingered on the boy's face.

"I…I didn't mean to. I just…I just wanted everyone to stop." Ezra let out a gasp. "Everything was happening so quickly, everything was spiraling out of control, and I...I just…I couldn't lose you guys, I couldn't-" Ezra stooped talking as tears replaced his words. Kanan's heart shattered at the sight.

He pulled Ezra closer, and for once Ezra did not try and resist. They stayed like that, Kanan keeling on the ground, arms wrapped around the shaking Ezra, who buried his face into his shirt. He knew that Ezra was afraid, and he could feel it radiating off of him through the force. All that Kanan wanted was to be able to help Ezra, to be able to protect him. He wanted to travel back in time and find him earlier, so he would never feel alone. He wanted to travel back in time and stop the Empire from taking over, so that Ezra could have trained at the temple, in safe hands.

He wanted to help his padawan. Yet he knew that the damage was already done.

Ezra was broken.

And there was nothing Kanan could do to fix that. He just needed to be there for him when his scars appeared, and he needed to be there when they did not. Kanan continued to comfort Ezra, as his sobs morphed into sniffles. Still, Kanan did not let go.

* * *

After their embrace, all had been a blur. Kanan remembered the Ghost, piloted by Chopper, coming to pick them up. He remembers Ezra sticking by his side as they carried their other members onto the ship. He remembers piloting off of Lothal and away from the events that had occurred, out into deep space. And he remembers throughout the whole time, Ezra sat in the co-pilots seat, glancing over at Kanan every few seconds to make sure he was still okay.

After the Ghost had come out of hyperspace, Kanan sat back in the seat. He turned to look at Ezra, who still sat still, not having said a word since Lothal. Usually Kanan would be grateful for some peace and silence, but this was different. He was concerned.

"Ezra…," Kanan started to say, but found himself at a loss for words. Thankfully, Ezra decided to speak up.

"Kanan did I…," he paused, gathering the right words. "Did I use the dark side?" He looked up at Kanan, eyes wide with fear and doubt. "I didn't feel cold when I woke up, like…like last time."

"No, Ezra you didn't. Even though you felt fear and loss, your will remained strong. Stronger than anyone else's would have." Kanan looked at his padawan, and unlike other lessons, the boy paid close attention to every word the Jedi said. "Ezra, I'm proud of you."

"_Proud_ of me?" Ezra shot up from his seat, and took a step away to distance himself. Kanan stood up as well, hoping he had said the right thing. "Kanan, I…I made _everyone_ there go _unconscious_. I would be terrified if I saw someone do that, and yet, you're proud?" Ezra turned around to face him, his eyes watering. A wave of fear washed over him through the force.

"Yes, Ezra. I'm proud of you. And nothing that you do will ever change that." He watched as Ezra looked at the ground.

"No, no. I'm…I…" Ezra looked at his hands, which had started trembling again. Kanan walked closer, but he saw Ezra recoil at his approach. "I'm afraid."

"Ezra, it's okay to be afraid of-"

"No, you don't understand." Ezra looked up at Kanan, and a tear fell down his cheek. Ezra lowered his head, still shaking slightly, as he whispered out the words that rendered Kanan speechless.

Ezra's voice wavered as he spoke.

"I'm afraid of myself."

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	18. Chapter 18

Hello! So sorry this is late; I've been super busy. I hope you like this chapter!

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**Chapter 18 – Protection**

"I'm afraid of myself."

"What?" Kanan asked, still confused by what Ezra had confessed to.

"I…I have so much _power_, and I…I don't want to hurt anyone. I almost did, back at Lothal. I could have killed you all…"

"Ezra…," Kanan did not know what to say. He was shocked that Ezra would be one to reject power, when others would leap at the chance to gain it.

"Kanan, there's so much power in me, and I don't know how to control myself. I can't control it." Ezra spoke at a whisper now, as he starred down at the palms of his hands. They trembled slightly, still shocked at what he had done. Kanan walked over to him and took Ezra's hands. They felt cold and sweaty, and as Kanan stood before him, Ezra still refused to look him in the eyes.

"Ezra, it's okay to feel fear."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said." Kanan huffed, annoyed that he could not teach Ezra as well as someone else could have. He was always second guessing himself, always having to adjust what he said before. It was not Ezra's fault, it was his own. He was still trying to figure out how to be a Jedi himself. "Ezra, all Jedi are not immune to feel emotions. We're all people, and we all feel them." Kanan paused, trying to gather his thoughts so hopefully he would not have to rephrase them at a later date. "It's just that when the Jedi feel these emotions, they are trained to look past them, in order to see clearly."

"Kanan…I don't know if I can."

"Ezra, the force is strong with you, and I know it makes it that much harder to clear your mind. But you are stronger. After almost getting killed, you ran off before you had a chance to heal because you knew what you needed to do. You knew."

Ezra looked up at Kanan's eyes, still puffy and red.

"Ezra, you will learn how to control your powers. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but you will learn. Even if I'm not here to teach you, Ezra, you will find a way. Because that is who you are."

Ezra wrapped his arms around Kanan, the force of his body moving closer stunning Kanan briefly. Kanan was surprised as he patted Ezra gently on his back. It had been a rough experience for the kid, having to relive his fears. Kanan only hoped that it would not happen again. The kid had lost so much.

They all had.

But that's the price they had to pay. And maybe one day it will be worth it; even if they are not there to see it.

* * *

Kanan sat on the floor in Hera's room. The twi'lek lied on her bed, her body completely still. Chopper was recharging, and Kanan had no doubt that Ezra was somewhere hidden, still ashamed that he had done this to his crew members. Even when Kanan had told him over and over again that it was going to be okay, the kid still felt guilt.

He exhaled. He was kneeling on the ground, his palms resting on his thighs. Kanan knew that there was something more to their friend's unconsciousness. Kanan removed the distractions from his mind. Clarity followed, but when he usually felt peace, he felt worry. Focusing on the origin, he could sense that it came from Ezra. Hesitantly pushing it aside, he focused on Hera. But he continued to feel the same feelings.

Worry, fear, and…something else.

Kanan strained to recognize the feeling, having to continue to push the other emotions away. Having done so, Kanan could now tell what the feeling was.

Protection.

Kanan opened his eyes, his focus snapping like a twig. The sudden break from the concentration stunned him, making it hard to gather his thoughts. Shaking off the feeling, Kanan understood.

And if he wanted to save his friends, he needed to help them. Fast. But the only one who could save them was the person who put them in this state in the first place.

He needed Ezra.

But Kanan was concerned. He knew what Ezra needed to do, but he knew the strain it would put on him; physically and mentally. That strain would add on to the stress that was already there, and he did not know how much more Ezra could take.

But he needed to try. He needed to talk Ezra into doing it.

Or else their friends would not wake up.

* * *

Ezra sat in the cockpit, still unmoving. He neither spun in his chair nor picked at the lose thread on his sleeve. Looking out the window into space, Ezra wondered what would have happened if he had not acted so recklessly. So ill-advised. So stupid!

Ezra sighed in frustration. He had asked himself this more times than he could count now; every time it had ended in the same result. It was his entire fault.

He leaned back in his chair, not sure what else to do. He did not want to see his crew members, lying on their beds because of him. Ezra closed his eyes, knowing that he would not fall asleep. His guilt had kept him up last night, and it would do so again.

The swoosh of the door made Ezra open his eyes. He spun around in his chair and saw Kanan standing there, looking excited. Before Ezra could question him, Kanan spoke.

"Ezra, I think I know how to wake them up." he said, getting right to the point.

"You do?" Ezra sat up in his seat, the feelings of exhaustion replaced with excitement.

"Yes. But you're the only one who can do it."

"Wait, what?"

"Ezra," Kanan sat down in the pilot's chair. "When you used the force on Lothal, you knocked everyone out."

"Kanan, I already know this," Ezra huffed.

"Be patient. I'm not done talking yet." Ezra relaxed a bit, following his master's words. "As I was saying, when you knocked everyone out, it was to keep them from harm. But when you did this, you grew too attached to keeping them safe."

"What does that mean?" Ezra asked.

"It means that to wake them up, you have to let them go. The force is so strong in you Ezra, that it's keeping them unconscious because you are afraid that they will get hurt. To bring them back, you have to let them go."

"I…I-"

The sound of a ship exiting from hyperspace made the two Jedi spin in their chairs. Before them flew an Imperial cruiser, with TIE fighters exiting the hangar quickly. Kanan spun in the chair, flipping switches on the dashboard and disengaging from auto pilot. Looking back at Ezra, he spoke.

"Start with Hera." Seeing the concerned look on Ezra's face, Kanan added onto his sentence. "Don't worry; I'll walk you through it."

Standing, Ezra ran to Hera's room, unsure of how, and _if_ he was going to pull this off.

Because if he did not, things were about to get a whole lot worse.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	19. Chapter 19

Hello! I hope you like this chapter!

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**Chapter 19 – One down**

Ezra kneeled on the ground in Hera's room. It was the first time he had seen her like this. If it had not been for the steady rise and fall of her body, she would have appeared dead. Now looking at her limp form, he wondered what he was doing here. Guilt threatened to overcome him. And the constant jerking of the ship suggested that Kanan was having a hard time with the TIE fighters. Ezra thought he should rather be in turret fighting, than trying to do some strange Jedi trick. But he knew the importance of what he was about to do. His friend's lives depended on him.

"Ezra!" Kanan shouted over the intercom on the ship. "Are you ready?"

Inhaling a deep breath, Ezra placed his hands on his thighs. Ignoring the pain from the fresh stiches in his left arm, he exhaled.

"Ready," He said into his com, which was set to send to the cockpit.

"Okay. First, you need to be in a meditative state."

"Alright, that's easy."

"Not so fast. Once you're in it, you have to reach deep into your mind. Find where you are holding onto them."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know; I've never done this before!" Ezra was lurched to the side as Kanan continued to try and maneuver the Ghost.

"Wait, what?"

"Just trust me!"

"What happens after that?"

"That's a good question!"

Ezra sighed. That was about as much as he was going to get out of Kanan. He closed his eyes, and reminding himself of the lesson about meditating, he slowly drained out the other distractions. But suddenly, the ship lurched again, throwing Ezra back into the present.

"It's kind of hard to focus with your crummy flying skills!" Ezra shouted.

"Well that's why you need to wake Hera, before we get shot down!"

Ezra knew Kanan was right. Feeling the stress of the situation, he again began to meditate. Once there, he knew where to look. Despite telling his master otherwise, he had known all along. Ever since he had woken up, he could somehow feel the other crew members, as if they were apart of him somehow. It was a strange feeling to Ezra.

He reached into his mind where he had felt them, and grabbed what Ezra described to himself as the  
'box' that felt like Hera. He ripped it out of his mind, and his eyes opened with a gasp. Emotions filled his mind, overwhelming him. He felt love and defiance, caring and hurt. As the emotions dimmed down, Ezra took in what he was looking at. Before him, a blue glowing line stretched from Hera's forehead to his. It was no wider than an inch, and around the glowing line white specs shimmered. Ezra reached up and tried to touch it, but his fingers passed right through it.

He continued to stare it at in awe, as the blue light glowed with intensity. Looking directly at it, he knew what he had to do. Ezra closed his eyes, and outstretching his right hand, pushed the force onto the line. Afraid that nothing was happening, Ezra looked up. He saw in the line a small crack had begun to form, and the blue light seeped out of it. With a breath of relieve, he continued.

Ezra felt the strain in his mind, but pushed on. The line could be broken; it needed to. If not…

Pushing his thought away, he refocused on the line. He pushed with all his mental capacity, and before him the blue line shattered. The blue pieces broke away like glass, but faded away quickly.

Ezra's mind exploded with pain. Grunting, he fell onto his hands and knees. The pain in his mangled left arm felt like a scratch compared to the surging pain in his mind. He wanted it to stop; he wanted the force to stop pounding though his mind, to stop feeling the pain. He just wanted it all to stop.

"Ezra?"

As suddenly as the pain had come, it had vanished. Ezra looked up to see Hera sitting up in her bunk, looking worried and confused about what was going on. Before Ezra had a chance to speak, the ship began to shake violently. Hera gave one last look at Ezra before running out of her room and towards the cockpit, where Ezra could hear Chopper's angry beeps at Kanan for not being able to fly the ship properly.

Ezra let out a breath, just wanting to fall asleep right then and there. Even though the pain had ended, exhaustion had taken its place. But he knew Kanan needed him. Ignoring his body's protests, Ezra stood and made his way to the cockpit as the ship shook violently; hiding the fact that Ezra could barely stand.

* * *

Kanan could sense his padawan entering meditation. Kanan knew that he had not been that helpful in explaining what to do, but he had other things to worry about than his lack of teaching skills. Kanan had been trying to out maneuver the TIE fighters, but had no luck so far. The Imperial cruiser had continued to send out more reinforcements after every TIE fighter that he managed to shoot down. And to make things better, their hyper drive had been shot, and Chopper was having a hard time with it.

The sound of running feet and the sliding door opening gave Kanan enough reason to quickly glance back. Hera stood there, eyes wide at the space battle that they were in. Kanan could see past her shock, and knew that she was mad that she was missing out.

"Hera!" He shouted, as he returned his gaze to the battle.

"Kanan, what's going on?" Hera ran over and began to flip switches, taking over control of her ship. Kanan obliged, lifting his hands slightly into the air to allow Hera more access.

"Now's not the best time to ask questions, Hera."

"And when has that stopped us before?" Hera swerved to the left, avoiding the TIE fighter's firing. Kanan sighed, knowing she was right. "Chopper, get our hyper drive up!" Hera continued to pilot the ship, now steadier than when Kanan was flying, as Ezra walked in.

Kanan looked over at his padawan, and could immediately tell something was wrong. He looked completely fine, despite being off balance, but through the force, he could sense nervousness in him. Kanan made a mental note to talk to him after they got out of this. _If_ they got out of this.

Chopper began to complain again about fixing the hyper drive, but before Hera could respond, Ezra spoke up.

"Here – I think I know what to do." Surprised, Kanan looked back at Ezra, who had run over and was kneeling at the paneling in the ship, already rewiring something. How Ezra knew as much as he did about fixing devices was beyond him.

_Focus_, Kanan thought. He needed to focus.

Kanan stood, letting Hera take her seat in the pilot's seat, and ran to man the guns. Climbing up the ladder, he took his seat and activated it. He fired shots at the TIE fighters, who dodged left and right, but they did not have the advantage that Kanan did. Closing his eyes, the force flowed through him, helping him see his target's next move. With ease, Kanan began to shoot down the TIE's, making a clearing for Hera to go through. He opened his eyes to see the battle around him slowly change into a blazing blue field of light.

They were home free.

* * *

Hera sighed as she sat back in her chair. Ezra had managed to fix it, and just in time. She looked over at the boy, who looked relieved, and she did not blame him. The amount of stress that was just put on him would make anyone shake with fear. Yet he had held strong.

Kanan came through the doors and looked at Ezra. Even though displaying a neutral face, Hera could see right through it. He was worried. Before Hera could ask him what exactly he was worried about, he spoke up.

"Ezra, how did you do it?" Ezra looked up, shock on his face.

"Oh, it was nothing. It just needed a little jump start after it was shot. All I did was rewire the-"

"No, not that. How did you wake Hera up?" Hera looked at Ezra, who seemed to grow a little discomforted at the question. After a few moments when it became obvious that Ezra was not going to answer, Kanan asked again.

"Ezra…what was it like?" Kanan sat down in the seat behind Hera, and looked to Ezra, who was still seated on the floor.

"Well, it…it was terrifying." Ezra did not make eye contact as he continued on. Despite being very confused, Hera listened intently to Ezra. She did not know all the details, but she was certain that she would get them out of Kanan later. "I reached into my mind, and I felt all these…emotions just overflowing my mind. Then, there was this blue line, that had linked us…and I broke it." Ezra looked up at Kanan.

"And…?"

"And what? That was it." Even Hera could tell that Ezra was lying. Expecting Kanan to call Ezra out for it, she was not prepared for Kanan's question.

"What did you see?"

Hera paused. What _did_ she see?

"Well…I was, stuck in this constant loop of a memory. It kept on replaying over and over again; the first time I met you." Hera looked up at Kanan, and his face remained neutral. "And then, in my memory, it was replaying just like before, until…" Hera looked up at Ezra. "I saw you, in my memory. Then the whole scene just….shattered. And I woke up."

Kanan nodded.

"Well," he said, the seriousness in his tone disappearing. "One down, two to go." He smiled at Ezra, and when she looked over at the boy, she was expecting a smile. But he was not smiling.

He looked terrified.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	20. Chapter 20

Hello! I hope you like this chapter!

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**Chapter 20 – Pain**

Ezra sat, yet again, on his knees with his arms resting on his knees. The ship was now peaceful, making it easier for Ezra to slip into a meditative state. He could sense Kanan right outside the door, and he was radiating impatience off of him. Ezra took a deep breath and focused on his friend who lay in front of him.

Sabine, like Hera, was barely distinguishable as alive. However, the steady rise and fall of her chest showed that she was not dead, at the moment.

Ezra pushed his concerns away, and reached into his mind for Sabine. It was harder to find than Hera's was, but once Ezra did find her, he pulled it out. And once again he was met with overwhelming emotions. He felt betrayed and hate, as well as freedom and defiance. But unlike Hera, the emotions were tenser, inflicting Ezra with great pain. It took him several moments to calm himself back down from the pain, before he opened his eyes.

A blue line ran from Sabine's forehead to Ezra's, no more than an inch thick and blazing blue. Ezra took a deep breath, and repeated what he did with Hera. He held out his hand and pressed down on the bond with the force. He strained his energy to the limit, pouring everything he had into breaking it. After what felt like hours, Ezra was not able to continue. His body jerked, throwing him off balance and onto his side on the floor. He pressed his palms into his temples, wanting the pain to stop.

He was so out of it that he could not tell who was trying to make him open his eyes. He felt hands on his shoulders, shaking him, but it only made it worse. Ezra just wanted it to stop, stop feeling the pain. Stop feeling everything.

And he knew what would stop it. Somehow, he managed to think coherently enough to recognize that he needed to finish breaking the bond that bounded Sabine to Ezra's mind. He reached out his hand, unsure of which one, and using energy that he did not think he had, he pushed.

And suddenly the world went silent.

The pain stopped, and Ezra let out a breath before he slowly came back around. He opened his eyes to see Kanan, Hera, and Sabine standing over him.

_Sabine_.

He had done it. He had broken the bond. Ezra breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had done it, before realizing where he was.

He tried to stand, but soon saw that he was in Kanan's arms. Slowly, the haze cleared, and he noticed that Kanan was carrying him somewhere.

"Hey!" Ezra twisted out of Kanan's grip, landing on the floor. He shook at the landing, but was thankful that the wall that he now leaned against had held him upright. He looked up at Kanan, who had a look of surprised at his padawan. "I'm okay."

"Ezra, you are not okay!" Kanan protested.

"It's fine, Kanan. It was just…"

"Just what?" Hera asked, taking the words out of Kanan's mouth. "Ezra, I saw you. You were curled up in a ball, asking us to _make it stop_." Hera's voice wavered.

Ezra felt guilty, yet again for his friends having to put up with him, but he continued to protest.

"Look, that's what's _supposed _to happen. The same thing happened with you, and it happened with Sabine."

"He's right."

Everyone in the hall turned to look at Kanan.

"Excuse me?" Hera asked.

"I'm sorry, Ezra." Kanan looked at him. "I knew that it would be painful, but I had no idea that…" His voiced died down.

"You _knew_?" Hera asked, getting furious.

"Yes," Kanan said, looking back at Hera. "But it was the only way to save everyone. I would have done it, but it would have killed Ezra. The bond that he created was too strong. I'm sorry."

"Kanan, I'm fine. Let's just do Zeb and get it over with."

"Oh, no. Ezra, you need to rest," Hera said. "At least until you can properly stand."

Ezra grimaced. They had seen right through his act. Trying to prove himself, he pushed himself off of the wall, standing with his feet. It lasted briefly, as his body began to protest. His knees gave in first, buckling and sending him on an impact course with the ship's metal floors. Kanan and Hera were at his side in an instant, both gripping opposite sides of him.

"Come on, kid. You can rest in my room," Kanan said, as he and Hera pulled him along. His legs dragged along as he was too tired to pick them up. He continued to look at the ground, embarrassed at his weakness. But he knew that there was no point in trying to resist.

Ezra felt the weight of his eyelids increase, and he slowly succumbed to sleep as he felt the cushion of the bed against his back.

* * *

Kanan sat in the copilots seat, turned around to face Sabine's, listening to what she saw while she was unconscious. He had an idea about what was happening, but he needed more evidence to support it.

"I kept on dreaming about the day I broke away from the Empire," Sabine said, looking up at Kanan. "Until, I saw Ezra in my dream. He just stood there, and then I woke up."

Kanan nodded his head as Sabine spoke.

"Now it's your turn Kanan. How did this happen?" Hera asked.

Kanan took a deep breath, and spoke.

"On Lothal, he saved everyone. But when he did, he locked all of you in his head in order to protect you."

"Why didn't that happen to you?" Sabine interrupted.

"It doesn't work on force users; I was able to stay awake, and I'm glad I did. I don't know what Ezra would have thought it…" His voice drained out, not wanting to think about what his padawan would do. But his mind was too quick. He could see Ezra waking up, and seeing the crew unconscious. He could see Ezra thinking that he had killed them all. Kanan did not know how he would have reacted, but he knew it would not have been good.

Kanan sighed, attempting to remove the image from his mind.

"Ezra is the only one who can wake you up. I had heard about the method before, but I had no idea…"

"But why do we have dreams?" Hera asked.

"My best guess is because of the circumstances. Ezra was dealing with his past, and so when he did that, you got put in your own memories. But I can't be certain."

"What happened to the storm troopers? Are they 'locked inside his brain'?" Sabine asked.

"No, not that I know of. I think it was only the people he wanted to protect."

"This is really complicated." Sabine rubbed her hand through her hair.

"Yeah, I agree," Kanan said. The crew listened to the hum of the Ghost flying through hyperspace as their minds drifted. Kanan leaned his head against the seat, trying to catch a moment of peace. But his moment of calm was quickly interrupted. Realizing what was happening; Kanan shot out of his seat and ran. He heard shouts from behind him, but like the ground beneath his feet, it was blurred. He slid to a stop in front of Zeb's room and opened the door.

And he was shocked at what he saw.

* * *

Ezra opened his eyes. He turned his head to the right, his hair ruffling in the process, and he noticed he was not in his room. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bunk, the tip of his feet barely scraping against the floor. His memory slowly returned, and realizing he had fallen asleep, he had no sense of time. As he wondered how long it had been, he slowly made his way back to his room. He knew that Kanan would protest when he found out, but Ezra did not care. He could take care of himself.

He opened the door and saw Zeb, still lying on his bunk, unmoving. As the door shut behind him, the lack of rude comments and threats towards him was unsettling. Ezra sighed. There was only one way to fix that. He kneeled down before the bunk, resting his hands on his knees. Ignoring the pounding in his head and the grogginess, he closed his eyes.

He knew where to look. After doing the same process two times before, he quickly found where Zeb was trapped in his mind, and pulled it out. He braced himself for the emotions that would overcome him, but he was still shocked at the rush. Zeb's emotions were stronger than Sabine's and Hera's combined. He felt fear and regret, along with anger and hate. But that was not all.

Along with the strong emotions, he could somehow feel..._more_.

He could feel the heat of a fire.

He could hear faint screaming in the distance.

He could see bright flashes of blue, red and green.

And then the emotions passed, leaving Ezra on his hands and knees, his hair sticking to the back of his forehead and neck. Even though the emotions had left, Ezra knew that it was only the beginning. He still had to break the line. And if it was as strong as the emotions that he just felt, it would not be easy.

He did not open his eyes to look at the line; it had only brought him pain. Instead he sat back into his kneeling position, and without a second thought, he pushed.

The pain seemed to hit him the second he had started, and it was relentless. The more Ezra pushed the more pain it produced. His head pounded in his skull. Sweat poured down his face. A wave of nausea hit him, upsetting his stomach and throat. Even his stitched left arm began to hurt as if the stitches had been ripped out of their place and replaced with daggers.

He knew he was close. Ezra could sense it. With the last of his strength that he had regained during his nap, he pushed once more.

He opened his eyes just in time to see the blue line break the connection between Zeb and Ezra. But this time it did not disappear.

Instead, it lashed back, wrapping itself around Ezra's throat.

Unable to react in time, Ezra was soon unable to breathe.

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R &amp; R

~ Kavella ~


	21. Chapter 21

Hello! I am sad to report that this is the last chapter of my story, _Not the Only One_. I hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 21 – Heartbeat**

Kanan could feel the stifle in the force. It was like a wave that hit him with full impact, making his body shiver as the feeling washed over him. He felt his padawan's pain. And he knew. He knew exactly what Ezra was doing; exactly what Kanan had told him not to.

He shot out from his seat and ran to Zeb's room, hoping to stop his padawan from hurting himself even more than he already had. Kanan knew that Ezra's mind was cracking, and it needed to heal, or else it might break permanently. And Kanan knew that he should have told Ezra about this before, but he did not want to. He did not want to see his padawan's fear. But now, Kanan regretted that choice.

With a flick of his hand, the door slid open.

He was shocked at what he saw.

Zeb sat up in his bed, looking down on the floor. His face displayed a mixture of confusion and shock.

Following his gaze, Kanan knew why.

There, Ezra lay with his hands clawing his neck, gasping and trying to breathe. Pausing only for a brief moment, Kanan shot over to his padawan. He kneeled down next to him, but Ezra was struggling too much to open his eyes.

"Ezra!" Kanan shouted, knowing that he could not hear him. Hera joined him trying to comfort his padawan, but the more they tried, the more Ezra began lashing out. His body was trying to fight whatever was causing this. Ezra's legs scraped against the metal floor, his gasps and grunts becoming louder and louder.

Kanan took his hands off of Ezra's shoulders, not knowing what else to do. Ezra was dying right in front of him, and he did not know how to help. He had to think of something.

Kanan kneeled down next to his struggling padawan, and cleared the distractions from his mind. He focused on Ezra, letting everything else drift from his mind. Opening his eyes, he was able to see what the rest of the crew could not.

A blue line wrapped around Ezra's neck, tightening with every kick. Kanan remembered what Ezra had said earlier, and he knew. Somehow the bond between them had lashed out against Ezra, and it was going to kill him.

Kanan held out his hand, but he struggled to remain calm. Ezra was now arching his back in pain, his grunts becoming louder. Kanan knew he had only seconds.

Concentrating once more, he focused on his padawan, letting all other distractions blur away. His arm outstretched, and used the force. He pushed the line apart, and it slowly unwound itself from around Ezra's neck. The line unraveled, and floated in a moving spiral in front of Kanan. The line began breaking into pieces, which just vanished once it did so.

Once the line was completely gone, Kanan breathed out, relief flooding out of him. But when he looked at his padawan, the fear rose again. Hera kneeled next to him, her fingers touching his neck. And Kanan knew that she was checking for a pulse.

Kanan's hopes dropped seeing the expression on her face.

No. His padawan could not be…dead. No, he could still sense him. He was still alive.

Kanan kneeled next to Ezra, and pressed his hand gently on his throat. He closed his eyes, hoping that he would feel a heartbeat. Hoping that he could feel something that proved his padawan was alive. And he did. It was uneven and weak, but it was there.

A heartbeat.

"Hera, we need to get him to the med bay!" Kanan shouted, picking up Ezra in his arms. He started running after Hera towards the med bay, hoping that they could save him in time. He looked down at Ezra, who had gone pale, but he could see the blue in his eyes.

"Ezra, it's going to be okay. You're going to be fine." Kanan pulled Ezra tighter into his embrace, before lying him down on a bed. Hera immediately got to work, and with Kanan helping out, they were able to go faster. They knew that time was not on their side.

Kanan began sticking needles into Ezra's arm, trying to ignore his padawan's moans. Hera connected a band around his wrist and hooked it up to a monitor. It began to beep unevenly, and Kanan knew that it was not a good sign. Without knowing it, Kanan and Hera began to move faster. It was only after they finished patching Ezra up to the best of their ability did they realize how quickly they had gone. It had been only a few minutes, but to the people on the Ghost, it had felt like hours.

They looked down at Ezra, whose breath and heartbeat had evened out. The beep coming from the device was steady now, and they let out a breath they had not realized they were holding.

"Kanan…," Hera said, but she did not have to say anymore. Kanan knew what she was going to ask.

"He might not." Kanan looked at his padawan lying on his back, his chest rising up and down. It was his job to protect his padawan. It was his job to look after him, after so many people had not. Kanan felt the guilt, and he wondered if Ezra had felt the same when Kanan explained what he had done to the crew. He understood why Ezra had done what he had; but Kanan wished with all his might that Ezra, for once, would have listened to him. "He might not," he repeated.

Kanan looked over at Hera, who looked down at the floor, deep in thought.

Ezra had lived for so long, surviving on his own. All that pain he went through, just to die here as a result of Kanan's lack of explanation? No, he would not allow it.

He would not know how to live if Ezra died.

He had lost so many in his past, feeling their force signature snap, and being able to do nothing. He did not want to feel that again for as long as he lived.

A small shake on the ship told Hera and Kanan that they had made it out of hyperspace. Hera, taking one last look at Kanan, and then Ezra, walked out of the med bay. Kanan knew that the tears that ran down her face were running down his as well.

* * *

Ezra could not breathe.

The world blurred around him, the shouts of his name went unheard, and the hands on him went unfelt.

It was a strange feeling, to feel nothing.

He could see his body, struggling against some force. He saw his eyes roll back, his body arching.

Yet there was no pain.

He watched as Kanan meditated, trying to help him. He watched as his crew stared at his body, unable to do anything to help. He watched as their eyes watered.

Yet there were no emotions.

But then Kanan had saved him. He had stopped struggling. He had fallen onto the ground, and all the pain came rushing back at once.

His back was on fire, his lungs even more so. His throat felt as if it was still being choked. His mind was unable to comprehend his surroundings. With every breath came excruciating pain. The only thing that did not hurt was listening. Ezra wanted to listen, to know what was happening. He heard bits and pieces of words being spoken to him.

"Ezra, okay, going to be fine."

He heard them, but they made no sense. His mind was still in shambles, unable to comprehend the simplest of words.

He closed his eyes, letting the warmth from someone soothe his aching body.

* * *

Hera was crying.

She sat in the cockpit, her trembling hands gripping the steering. The Ghost was still on auto pilot, for she did not trust herself to take control.

She had no control over anything these days.

She did not stop Ezra from running off. She did not piece together the clues that Ezra was trapped in the crate. She did stop Ezra from running off _again_. She did not save him in time.

Hera sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

She needed to remind herself that it was not always her fault. She had always felt guilty for not stopping something beforehand, but sometimes she needed to know that it was out of her control.

But she was in control of her ship. And she was in control of this crew, more or less. Her crew had the tendency to go against her when they felt something was not right, but what they did not know was that Hera was supporting them. She did not always like Fulcrum's orders, and when the crew rebelled, she had an excuse for joining them.

Deep breath.

She felt responsible for Ezra, as if he was her own blood. And after what he had went through, it was what he needed, even if he said otherwise. She knew a lie when she heard one.

But when Ezra had sacrificed his well-being, she was upset with him, despite what she had always told him. Hera smiled a bit. Just knowing that their actions were rubbing off on their newest member warmed her heart. But she was still upset at him. Ezra had given Hera a heart attack, and she would get him back for it when he woke up.

If he woke up.

* * *

Zeb was completely out of it.

He had awakened to a struggling Ezra, gasping for air, battling some unknown force. Kanan had come in and done something, and saved him. But the way Kanan ran out of the room, carrying Ezra in his arms and the look on Hera's face as she followed did not give Zeb hope.

Sabine had followed, and Zeb would have too, if his energy was not so drained. When he tried to get up, tried to follow and somehow help their struggling friend, he had fallen back down onto the bed. He closed his eyes, trying to gather energy, but it was no use.

The images kept flashing by every time he blinked.

The screaming rang through his ears.

The pain shot through him with every breath. The pain of regret, the fear, and the hate.

Zeb knew that it was not his fault, but he had kept reliving it, over, and over, and _over_.

Zeb slouched back, trying to relax. He dared not to close his eyes in fear that the dream would return. At first, the dream had been the same as always. The pain, the chaos, the Empire. It had all been there. But this time he could not wake up. There was no escape; he was stuck in the same actions, repeating the same day that had changed everything for the worse. But then, Ezra had appeared. He had stood in front of Zeb, his electric blue eyes looking up at his.

Then he was in his bunk, and Ezra was dying.

Zeb shook off the memory, trying to rid his mind of it. He did not like to dwell on the past, especially his own.

But neither did Ezra.

And yet after being captured by a past gang, almost getting killed by the Inquisitor, going _back_ and trying to get his slingshot, and almost dying along the way, he had done it.

He had faced his past.

Zeb did not remember anything after fighting some bucket heads, but he remembered the fire. Some members of the gang had probably made it out, despite the extensive fire. But Zeb did not think that they were going to be a problem for Ezra anymore. He had proven that he was a force not to mess with. Despite having a troubled past, Ezra had faced it. And if Ezra could face his past, Zeb could as well.

His door slid open, the noise startling the Lasat. He looked up, and seeing who it was, Zeb stood abruptly. Ezra stood in the doorway, his blue eyes slightly dimmed, but still sparked with energy. Kanan stood behind him, staying close by his side, and Zeb was not sure who needed the support; Ezra, or Kanan.

"Hi," Ezra said, showing a slight grin on his face.

Ezra was alright.

Zeb knew that the events that had occurred would leave new scars. Zeb knew that the events could lead to complications in the future. But to see the youngest member of the crew, the one who had risked his life to save them, standing before him filled him with relief and hope. Zeb decided not to think about his past.

For the time being, everything would be alright.

They had all faced trouble in the past, but it was called the past for a reason. It could come back to haunt you, but by then you would be stronger. You would be ready for it. You could face it and move on, looking towards the future.

Ezra was not by himself anymore. He did not have to face everything by himself. Now, he had friends. Friends who had saved him, and he had saved them in return.

He was not the only one anymore.

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Fin

Hello! I am so sad that this is finally over, but I am so happy that I was able to share it with all of you. I really loved the way it turned out. Fun fact; this story started off as Zeb-accidentally-breaks-Ezra's-rib-cage and it turned into this. I have not idea how that even happened. I will have more stories coming out probably after the season finale. Speaking of which, is anyone else freaking out? Cause I am!

Anyway, thank you all for reading.

~ Kavella ~


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